Captain Carthorse - how lowering demands on yourself could be the key to building a high-performing team

"Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you, give them everything they need to grow, and your business will thrive" - that's from Richard Branson, who knows a thing or two about leadership.

I've seen a lot of new leaders come and go recently and the ones that are winning are the ones who know their gaps, park their egos at the door and work quickly to fill those gaps with people that are better than them.

At school, in my earlier years, I was captain of the junior football team, yet was quite easily the worst footballer of the group; bad enough to earn the nickname "Carthorse" (how rude!). But… I did my best to bring the team together, make roles clear, shouted a lot, put in a shift and never believed we were beaten (even when we very clearly so often were). Lesson being - you don’t need to be the expert at everything, showing people how great you are – it’s not about you.

Your job as a leader is to provide direction and purpose and clear the way for others to do the doing and bring the magic. Be available to act as "sweeper" when needed. Classic servant leadership over command and control. Be humble, know your limits and get the experts in!