Your leadership impact shouldn't be limited by your span of control. Yet figuring out how to scale leadership can pose a challenge, particularly if time is tight. Ideally, leaders trust their teams to own decisions in their areas and are realistic about how to benefit from both successes and failures as a result of those decisions. A blaming culture devolves into a risk averse culture before too long. And a risk averse culture doesn’t lead to innovation.
When one of your people does something that doesn’t work out, don’t blame them. Instead, ask yourself what context you failed to set. Are you articulate and inspiring enough in expressing your goals and strategy? Have you clearly explained all the assumptions and risks that will help your team to make good decisions? Are you and your employees highly aligned on vision and objectives?
The ultimate measure of leadership isn't what you accomplish—it's what your organization accomplishes without you.
How are you developing leadership capability through context in your organization?