Great leaders recognize they can’t do it all themselves, so they distribute control to extend the capacity and motivation of their team.
People in authority need to be less like chess masters or puppeteers, controlling every move, and more like farmers, creating good soil conditions, planting in season, and doing all they can to support growth.
Neuroscience tells us that the brain flourishes when it is given an appropriate amount of control—appropriate to our level of competence and confidence. On the flipside, the brain shuts down when it is stifled by unnecessary controls.
David Marquet, former US Nuclear Submarine Captain, learned that superior results can be achieved when giving up control in an environment of high competence and high clarity. In other words, he made sure he had a team of highly competent individuals who had the information and clarity needed to make the best possible decisions and take the best possible actions without him controlling every move.
Marquet admits that giving away control will feel unnatural and uncomfortable at first, but over time it becomes easier, especially as superior results are achieved.
Marquet defines leadership as embedding the capacity for greatness in the people and practices of an organization and decoupling it from the personality of the leader.
Marquet shares his effective approach in the following 10 minute video:
Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.