How do we as leaders know we are serving and growing those around us? By following three simple steps: Teach, Support, and Guide (TSG).
Step 1. Teach
Teach those around you. Share information and communicate effectively so that it is fully comprehended. Then show them how you use apply the same information. In this context we define teaching as the sharing of knowledge, information, and how it can be used. Remember though, teaching should foster thought and critical thinking. For example, let's explore teaching someone how to bait a hook for fishing. You share the goal with the person that the purpose is to put the worm on the hook so that it doesn’t come off and while it also entices the fish to bite. You then show the individual your preferred method of baiting the hook, and share all the different ways you have tried in the past and why they did or didn’t work. Then you let them try their own way and let them make their own mistakes. This way they learn the best way for them to get the job done.
To be clear teaching is not training. Training does not allow for fluctuation or autonomy. It is a step-by-step process that results in a known outcome. In turn training often creates muscle memory so that a task can be done with little or no thought. Training is not wrong and is useful in certain areas. How to use particular software in accordance with policy or procedures, is a simple example where training is positive. A more extreme example is in the military or medical fields where we are trained to perform certain task with such precision under extreme pressure, because lives depend on it. However, training is not teaching. As a leader you want to teach those around you whenever possible.
Step 2. Support
Once you have shared your knowledge, and taught different ways to utilize it; You then show trust through autonomy, while providing support. So, what do I mean by providing support? The answer can vary from situation to situation. To define support in these circumstances; To support is to provide resources to an individual that helps them achieve a task in the manner in which they choose to accomplish it. Resources can include, but not limited to time, money, emotional security, and knowledge. For example, support can look like something as simple as words of affirmation, or showing encouragement in both private and public settings. Support could be access to unused budget, or even access to you and others for further knowledge and understanding.
Step 3. Guide
The last step is to guide the person or team. When a person has autonomy, it is very possible for them to steer away from the goal, and not even realize it. It is our job as leaders to make sure they are pointed in the “general” direction of the goal. In a sense, as leaders we act as metaphorical bumpers on a bowling alley. We are not the ones that pushed the balls to the pins but we are the ones that help make sure it gets there. An example of this is if you give someone the task of coming up with a plan to reach a specific goal and executing it. When the individual comes to you with their plan you realize that it is not at all the way you would have done it and that there are major concerns. Instead of saying “that won’t work we will do it my way”, we ask them to walk us through their plan, identifying possible issues along the way. In addition, when reviewing those issues, we don’t say “fix that problem by doing this”. We ask questions like, “How can we mitigate this risk?”. Overall, we ask questions that allow them to find their own answers and path forward. We then continue to provide guidance’s throughout the execution phase.
If you continually repeat these steps with those around you, you will be viewed as an empathetic, knowledgeable leader, that has good rapport, and encourages growth of those around them.
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