It may be nearly every manager’s natural instinct to take an active and hands-on leadership approach when their employees ask for help. After all, managers have the positions they do because of their problem solving and leadership skills. The only problem is, as Lora Cecere points out in this post, is that sometimes lending a helping hand can make a problem worse. She explains:

"I call this “carrying someone else’s monkey.” When you “carry someone else’s monkey” you are trying to fix something for someone else in the workplace. It never works. So, instead of trying to fix something for someone else, my advice is to empower employees to fix it themselves."

When you get to that point where you have empowered your employees, you know that you have made it as a true leader. Being a true leader means that you have inspired your employees to be engaged in their work and have given them the tools to succeed at their job. “Real leadership is a verb,” this article on Fast Company explains:

"Real leadership is an activity: It is engaging with people, explaining to people, motivating people. It is giving them not just direction but an enthusiasm and a sense of momentum to keep the business moving no matter the challenges you face.

Leadership as a position is about asserting authority and control over others. Real leadership is about letting go of that control and unleashing others’ energy to achieve great things."

Kevin Daum is one amongst many that understand empowering employees isn’t the easiest task. Here is a post of his on Inc for tips on how to start empowering your employees today. A valuable piece of insight from his article:

"Yes, it’s true that people get paid for the job. But the best employees don’t work at your company just for the money. Empowered people need a greater level of satisfaction than simply financial stability. They need to feel that leadership appreciates their contribution and values their participation. Don’t be shy about finding ways to say “thank you” or celebrating the good things your employees do. If they have to ask how they are doing, you are doing your job poorly as a leader."

See the original posting here, on Confab's blog.
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