Leah, I think we have a country full of leaders who were not groomed for leadership.  They were taught how to manage and with an iron fist, at that.  Too many companies are still attached to the “Don’t buck the system” or think outside the box ‘cuz the boss won’t like it!”  We don’t have enough companies whose cultures openly allow for mistakes - - in fact embrace them because it is when we make mistakes that we know we’ve moving beyond the status quo.  Without allowing for mistakes, we have no problem solving going on.

Having come up from the ranks with “good ‘ol boys” at the helm, many of our leaders and thus our managers question their every decision as though it will be their last, if things don’t go 100% right.  No wonder so many of our employees are fearful of trying to solve problems on their own even if they think they have a darn good idea that will help improve moral, customer service, the bottom line, whatever.

Mature (good) leaders know that their job is to guide their companies by learning all they can about what is happening out there, understanding what their competition is doing and strategizing where and how to guide their companies into the future.  Leaders shouldn’t be in the weeds directing company employees how to do their daily tasks.  Our managers should be coaching, mentoring and teaching our employees how to improve their performance and helping them grow professionally. And with all coaching and mentoring, good managers know when to step back and watch as their protégés find new and better ways to do their jobs.