Perhaps one of the skills to learn, as your seniority grows in an organisation, is to be quiet. Not absence, but quietness. Leadership can be about owning the vision, but this doesn’t mean creating it on your own. It also can be about putting structures in place to bring the vision to life. But others need to lead those structures, so perhaps it’s not about you taking over, but rather about you ensuring they have to capacity to lead.

This does not mean you don’t engage in detail when appropriate. No, rather it means you help to ensure there is enough space to get into the detail. It’s about figuring out what conversations are operational and which ones are strategic. And then separating the two. And it is about coaching others to do the same. It is knowing the line between micro-managing and coaching.

Perhaps the skill to learn, as your seniority grows in an organisation, is to know when to be quiet. Quiet in meetings team members are leading, but active before and after to ensure they have everything they need to thrive.

I have forgotten this often. And each time I have, the results are poorer for it.

The choice is up to us.

Photo by Bermix Studio