Empowering Others to Solve the RIGHT Problems
As leaders, entrusted with guiding our church community, we often find ourselves immersed in the daily operations, grappling with myriad tasks and challenges. It's easy to fall into the trap of focusing on minor details and issues that, in the grand scheme of things, don't significantly impact our mission. This tendency to focus on problems that are minor — or to get bogged down in minutiae — can be a significant barrier to effective leadership. Today, I want to share some thoughts on how we can lead from a higher vantage point and empower others to take on the details, allowing us to guide and inspire our teams and community more effectively.
The Problem with Solving Non-Existent Problems
In any leadership role, especially within the church, there is an inherent desire to ensure that everything runs smoothly. We care deeply about our community and our mission, so it's natural to want to address every issue, no matter how small. However, this well-intentioned approach can lead to what I call "problem-solving for the sake of problem-solving." We might find ourselves spending precious time and energy on problems that, when examined closely, aren't real problems at all or are so minor that they don't require our focus.
As a kid, I remember hearing the rumor that if Bill Gates walked past a hundred-dollar bill on the side of the road, it wasn’t worth his time to reach down and pick it up. The idea was that his time was so valuable, he could make far more in the moments it would take to retrieve that bill. I think sometimes we forget that as leaders, we are billionaires when it comes to our time, energy, and attention. Every minute we spend on a problem that someone else could capably address is a minute we lose from focusing on our core mission, vision, and the bigger issues that need our attention.
This phenomenon often stems from a lack of delegation and a tendency to micromanage. When leaders become overly involved in the details, they inadvertently create or amplify problems that could have been resolved by someone else, or that might not have been problems at all had they been left alone. The result is a leadership approach that is reactive rather than proactive, stifling creativity, initiative, and growth within the team.
The 10/80/10 Rule: A Framework for Effective Delegation
To counter this tendency, I recommend embracing Dan Martell's 10/80/10 rule as a guiding principle. This rule provides a framework for effective delegation, allowing leaders to maintain high standards while empowering their team members to take ownership of their work.
Here’s how the 10/80/10 rule works:
The First 10%: As a leader, your role is to provide the initial direction. This involves clearly communicating the vision, goals, and desired outcomes for a project or task. At this stage, you set the parameters, provide context, and outline the expectations. This ensures that the team understands the purpose behind the task and has a clear direction to follow.
The Middle 80%: This is where you step back and let your team take over. Trust your team members to handle the bulk of the work. They will bring their own creativity, skills, and perspectives to the task, which often leads to solutions and outcomes that you might not have envisioned. During this phase, it's essential to resist the urge to micromanage or interfere unless necessary. Allow your team the space to innovate and problem-solve independently.
The Final 10%: Once the bulk of the work is done, your role as a leader is to review the final product and ensure it meets the established standards. This is where you make any necessary adjustments, provide feedback, and ensure that the outcome aligns with the original vision. However, your involvement at this stage should be minimal, focused on fine-tuning rather than overhauling.
Coaching for Alignment
Even with a clear framework like the 10/80/10 rule, there will be times when the work returned by your team doesn’t fully align with your expectations. This is a natural part of the leadership process and an opportunity for growth—for both you and your team members. The key is to approach these situations with a coaching mindset rather than a disciplinary one.
Here are some strategies for coaching team members when their work doesn’t meet expectations:
Provide Constructive Feedback: When reviewing the final 10% of a project, be specific about what aspects of the work need improvement. Rather than simply pointing out what’s wrong, explain why it doesn’t align with the initial vision and how it can be improved. Focus on the outcomes and the reasons behind your expectations.
Encourage Self-Reflection: Ask your team members to reflect on the work they’ve done and identify areas where they think improvements could be made. This encourages them to take ownership of their work and develop a critical eye, which is essential for growth. Self-reflection also fosters a sense of responsibility and helps team members internalize the standards you’re aiming for.
Offer Support and Resources: Sometimes, the gap between expectations and outcomes is due to a lack of resources, knowledge, or support. As a leader, it’s important to provide the tools and guidance your team needs to succeed. This could mean offering additional training, clarifying instructions, or providing examples of the desired outcome.
Empower Through Trust: Trust is a crucial element in any coaching relationship. When you trust your team members, you empower them to take risks, make decisions, and grow in their roles. Even when mistakes are made, use these moments as learning opportunities rather than reasons to take control back. Remember, the goal is to develop your team’s capabilities, not to ensure that everything is done perfectly according to your methods.
The Impact of Letting Go
When leaders focus on empowering their team rather than solving every problem themselves, the impact can be profound. Not only does this approach free up your time to focus on higher-level strategic thinking and vision casting, but it also fosters a culture of ownership and initiative within your team.
By letting go of the need to control every detail, you allow your team members to develop their skills, take on more responsibility, and contribute more meaningfully to the church’s mission. This doesn’t mean abandoning oversight or lowering standards—it means trusting your team to rise to the occasion and guiding them towards success.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
While the 10/80/10 rule is a powerful tool for effective delegation, it’s important to be mindful of common pitfalls that can undermine its effectiveness:
Failing to Set Clear Expectations: The success of the 10/80/10 rule hinges on the clarity of the initial 10%. If your team doesn’t fully understand the vision or the goals, they’re likely to veer off course during the middle 80%. Make sure your instructions are clear, concise, and well-understood.
Micromanaging During the Middle 80%: It can be tempting to check in constantly and offer “suggestions” as your team works on a project. However, this can stifle creativity and send the message that you don’t trust them to do the job. If you find yourself wanting to intervene, ask yourself whether it’s truly necessary or if it can wait until the final 10%.
Over-Correcting in the Final 10%: The final review stage is about fine-tuning, not redoing. If you find that the work isn’t meeting your standards, consider whether this is due to a lack of clarity at the outset or if additional coaching is needed. Overhauling the work at this stage can be demoralizing for your team and undermine their confidence.
A Call to Action
As leaders, our role is to guide, inspire, and empower those around us to achieve great things. By stepping back from the details and allowing our team members to take ownership of their work, we create an environment where innovation and growth can flourish. Let’s commit to focusing on what truly matters, trusting our team to handle the rest, and coaching them towards excellence when needed.
I encourage each of you to reflect on your current leadership approach. Are there areas where you might be solving problems that don’t really exist? Are there opportunities to delegate more effectively, using the 10/80/10 rule as a guide? And when your team’s work doesn’t align with your expectations, are you approaching the situation with a coaching mindset?
Let’s work together to build a culture of empowerment within our church community—one where leaders focus on vision and strategy, and our staff and volunteers are trusted and equipped to bring that vision to life.
Michael Visser
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