Source | www.forbes.com | Forbes Coaches Council
As a leader, your job is to guide and inspire your team. Your staff may often turn to you for insights—but leaders aren’t perfect.
You won’t always have the answer to every question or problem, and that’s OK. However, it can be difficult to accept this fallibility when you’re accountable to your team.
We asked a panel of Forbes Coaches Council members to share their advice for leaders who need to get more comfortable not always having the answer. Their best responses are below.
1. Ask More Questions To Inspire The Answers
My advice as a leader is to ask questions so it inspires answers. Don’t just answer like an average manager or boss. True leaders motivate the person who has the question and help them find answers. Next time your direct report or people from your organization ask questions, say to them, “Great question. I have some ideas that I can share with you, but before I do, what do you think?” – Sameer Khan, Inspiring Insights LLC
2. Weigh Your Options And Plan Out Different Scenarios
Exercising judgment and making decisions in the face of uncertainty is leadership’s No. 1 challenge. Instead of focusing on “the answer” or false precision around an answer, show your team how to navigate the unknowns. Conduct scenario-planning and weigh different options. It will grow your and their muscle for adaptive leadership. Know the nonnegotiables and figure out the rest. – Shoma Chatterjee Hayden, ghSMART
