Q: How do I get my team to stop bringing me every problem?
A: Show them where the fence is.
I once thought something I didn’t say out loud to a supervisor:
“If you don’t give me more to do, I’m going to give you more to do.”
I wasn’t being combative or difficult. I was seeing a pattern develop.
A while back my role shifted, and I was having to relearn where my boundaries were. Could I make a $100 decision? A $1,000 decision? It wasn’t made clear for me. So I was feeling my way in the dark to find where the fence was.
And here’s how I did it: Every task that was assigned to me I handled fully until I hit a hiccup or a snag; then I took it to my boss.
I was hoping he’d say, “That’s small, you handle it.”
But he didn’t, he just kept taking the delegated tasks back.
And instead of his plate getting emptier it got fuller.
Looking back, I realize I wasn’t asking him for help, I was asking for clarity.
Most people don’t bring you small problems because they can’t solve them. They bring them because they can’t see the fence.
Without a fence, you have to hold the rope.
With one, you can let go.
Tell your team they can handle anything under $1,000, and most of them will.
Leave it unclear, and every $100 decision ends up on your desk.
Actionable Question: What problem keeps landing on my desk that should never leave theirs?
Make it clear,
Andrew Nemeth