Leadership Insight: From Micromanager to Empowering Leader

A few years back, I received a call from a Fortune 50 company executive. He was troubled by his team's lack of proactivity, innovation, and accountability. He asked for my help to fix his group. Invited to their strategic retreat, I observed a pattern. The executive, though brilliant, dominated discussions. He quickly dismissed others' ideas, unwittingly stifling their initiative.

To address this, I proposed a simple exercise. For two hours, he was to listen silently, noting his own reactions without interrupting the flow of ideas. The result was telling. As he struggled to hold back, the team's energy waned the moment he interjected. This confirmed the impact of his leadership style.

We worked together for three months. We focused on developing a leadership style that listened, empowered, and built on the collective intelligence of his team. A year later, he was promoted.

He credited our moment of intervention as pivotal. He learned that true leadership at high levels is about harnessing the power of a unified team, not needing to have the answers to everything.