Trust never takes a vacation.
When you go on holiday this summer, will you be preoccupied with how things are going at work? Do you have low trust in your team’s ability to manage without you? Or perhaps your team doesn’t trust you, and they can’t wait for you to go on vacation, so they don’t have to look over their shoulder every minute of the day. Regardless of your situation, there’s never a right time to take a vacation from building trust.
Simple truth #44 in my new book with Ken Blanchard, Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust, says…
The most important part of leadership is what happens when you’re not there.
High-control leaders are afraid to take time off of work and delegate to their team members. They’re concerned that when they’re not around, people will get off-course and do something stupid that will reflect badly on the leader. Trusted servant leaders, on the other hand, develop and empower their people so that they will perform just as well, if not better, on their own as they do when the leader is present.
This is especially critical in today’s remote and hybrid work culture. When you as the leader are physically located alongside your people, it’s easy to observe their working behaviors. But that’s an impossibility in today’s environment. The real proof that you are a trusted servant leader is how your people perform on their own. They know you trust them and they want to live up to the standards you have demonstrated.
That’s why I’d like to invite you to join me for the 8-week Summer of Trust leadership reflection series. Every Monday, from July 11 through August 29, you’ll receive a weekly email containing…
- An inspirational and thought-provoking message on how to become a trusted servant leader
- Practical actions steps for that week’s focus area that will help you implement the mindsets and skillsets of trusted servant leaders
- A downloadable tool or resource to help you in your leadership journey of building trust
The Summer of Trust series is free of charge, and you can opt-out at any time. I’ll be giving away five copies of Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust. All subscribers are eligible for the random drawing and Ken and I will personally sign your copy!
I hope you’ll join me. I’m confident the Summer of Trust series will provide you with knowledge and resources that will make this a summer to remember.
The point of developing your team is so they can perform with or without you. A great leader empowers the team and does not feel insecure if they do well on their own.
Agreed! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
It really is about trust. Trust in your team to do the right things. Building your team to trust themselves to perform without you. Also, trust in your peers to cover you. It all leads to a relaxing time away, and an increased work-life balance. Great post Mr. Conley, can’t wait for the Summer of Trust series to start!
Hi Allen,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you’ll be participating in the Summer of Trust series!
Randy
Hi Randy, you hit the nail on the head with this being a problem very characteristic of high-control leaders. Understanding that you need to cultivate a self-reliant team that performs well in your absence was one of the first very important lessons I learned as a new manager. Empowering a team to keep things on the rails and make good decisions while you’re away is not only good for their development and good for the organization, it allows you to rest easy during your time off.
Hi Evan,
Thanks for sharing your first-hand experience!
Randy