At the moment, I find myself in a charming town in the South of France, supporting Cameron and his team in a major tournament. Today’s match is France versus Australia in football, and the excitement is palpable. While I usually support France against any other team, when they face Australia and my son Cameron, I’m wholeheartedly cheering for the Australian team.
Being away from the office, I am incredibly fortunate to have an exceptional team that handles many tasks in my absence. However, there seems to be a paradox in the world of management. The larger the team, the more challenges and responsibilities leaders face.
Bonjour, in this video I want to share a simple tip that can save you time while also fostering team empowerment.
Recently, I had a conversation with a European leader who manages a team of 15 people. He shared his frustration, mentioning that his days are spent solving problems and answering questions. There seems to be a perpetual queue of people seeking his guidance and solutions.
This prompted me to introduce a simple approach called 1-3-1.
The 1-3-1 logic is straightforward. When your team members approach you with a problem, educate them about this process:
1. Define the one problem: Encourage them to pinpoint the exact issue they are facing.
This reminded me of a brilliant math’s teacher from my school days who asked us to identify the specific part of the problem we didn’t understand. She always challenged us when we were saying ‘Miss, I don’t understand’ to analyze and articulate precisely what we were unable to comprehend.
2. Explore three solutions: Ask your team members to brainstorm three potential solutions to the identified problem. By providing multiple options, they exercise their critical thinking skills and consider different perspectives.
3. Recommend one solution.
Finally, request that they choose one recommendation from the options they generated. More often than not, their intuition will guide them to the right solution. By empowering them to think independently, you foster their growth and development.
Now, my question to you is: Are you the kind of manager who micromanages and carries unnecessary pressure on your shoulders? Or are you the type of manager who empowers your team to think for themselves?
This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip.
Wishing you an incredible day while I am going back to cheer for Australia.
A bientôt,
Cyril
