Effective leadership involves knowing when to say “no” and empowering your team members.
That’s the belief of Ray White New Zealand Executive Chairman Carey Smith who said it’s vital that leaders focus on tasks that only they can perform.
“As leaders, it is vitally important that we are working at our highest and best use (on jobs that others cannot do) and that we actively make decisions to say no based on empowerment of us and our team,” Mr Smith said.
“We can struggle to say no when we don’t understand our value.
“We believe it may be responded to with rejection or disappointment.”
He said saying no, can often be misinterpreted or seen as dismissive.
“This, in turn, leads to our belief that our worth is tied to seeing how much we can do for others rather than how we can empower and grow others,” he said.
He said the role of delegation in fostering team growth and development is crucial to all organisations.
“Saying no is an active part of delegation, but knowing the strengths of your team and the way you are developing your team through reporting lines are the best defence for you being your highest and best use and being able to say no confidently and redirect with importance to one of your team members who you are empowering,” he said.
“It is the continued empowerment that you give in a work environment to grow others and to actively delegate, which will not only assist your leadership position but will greatly enhance the way your team learns, grows and provides for their empowerment to get better.”
Mr Smith warned against the tendency to overcommit, noting its potential negative impacts.
“We get asked many requests on a daily basis, and we say yes on many occasions without considering or consenting to our time,” he said.
Mr Smith recommended using Stephen Covey’s urgency-importance matrix when evaluating requests, to address this issue.
“Is it urgent (someone else’s problem that they are passing on to us) or is it important and can fundamentally change a moment and give the opportunity to empower someone without a calendar deadline?” he said.
“So often, our calendars are there to be filled by the next request (let me check my calendar we hear ourselves saying), but should they be prefilled?”
Mr Smith said a leader must learn how to delegate if they are going to be effective at what they do.
“Saying no and redirecting a request to one of your team allows you to set boundaries to avoid over-commitment and focus on your value exclusively, not only to enhance your leadership position but also to elevate the company,” he said.
“Our decision-making in saying no is a big yes to the increasing value of what we do and the value we add.”
