A conversation I keep having with women leaders is about over-responsibility.
When someone on their team is not following through, they almost immediately start asking what they did wrong. They start listing all the ways they’ve been bending over backwards to make that person successful: setting expectations, coaching, creating checklists, sending reminders, following up again. Then, they start brainstorming on what else they could do.
The desire to make your team successful is admirable and necessary. It’s true that strong leadership involves motivating, supporting, and influencing people. However, the leader – team dynamic, like any work relationship, requires shared accountability.
Many women leaders I speak with are carrying responsibility that does not belong to them.
Sometimes the issue is not that they need to communicate more clearly or work harder to support someone. Sometimes the real next step is holding boundaries and creating room for people to either step up or learn from what happens when they don’t.
Support is important. Overcompensating for someone else’s inaction is not the same thing.
