Be a leader, be a copilot.
Leading a team is like sitting in a car with your team.
No, you are not the driver this time, but the one watching your team drive after you debrief the where and when. With collaboration and communication, hopefully, your team will arrive at the same place around the same time, safely.
You were once an experienced driver, but now you become the passenger watching your team drives.
“If I am driving, I will reach the destination much faster!”, you once told yourself.
The difference is, that you are no longer responsible for one but tens, hundreds, and thousands of cars and drivers.
You will be tempted to give advice, instructions, and opinions.
As soon as you do, your driver will, sometimes unwillingly, take your advice, being distracted, and deviated from the plan in one’s mind before the start of the journey.
A leader is like a co-pilot
As a leader, we need to let the team navigate challenges themselves independently, empower them with autonomy, trust that they will make the right decision with the unforeseeable road conditions and finally reach where we need them to be.
We want, and need the team to learn from mistakes, improve their skills, and be committed to not making the same mistake…
