A Light Touch

Never do anything for anybody they can do for themselves.

Jockey Willie Shoemaker was once asked the secret to his incredible success.? “I keep a light touch on the horse’s rein,” he said.? “It doesn’t know I’m there unless he needs me.”?

That’s powerful!? It’s also remarkably applicable to building high performance people. ?

“People are empowered,” wrote Rick Mauer, “when they are given the authority and responsibility to make decisions affecting their work with a minimum of interference and second guessing.”

So often leaders get so wrapped up in people’s responsibilities, they end up involved in doing much of the work themselves.? In addition to becoming overloaded and overwhelmed, they inadvertently make people dependent on them.? People depend on the leader to resolve problems, make decisions, or give the okay to move forward on projects.? The leader becomes burned out and their people remain dependent and underdeveloped.

As Max DePree declared, “You’ve got to abandon your ego to the talents of others.”? Ouch!? ‘Light touch’ leaders abandon their egos, feel comfortable with not having all the answers, or being the go-to person for every decision to be made.? Instead, they become the conductor of a finely tuned orchestra of talent.

“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world,” advised John le Carre’.? We’ve all heard about Management by Walking Around (MBWA) but providing guidance goes beyond walking the halls.? Take the time to build relationships so you can better determine people’s needs.? Be willing to hold someone’s hand to get them through a challenge – even though sometimes the challenge is getting people to let go. ?

When I was working with adults with disabilities, one of our cardinal rules was to never do anything for anybody that they could do for themselves.? By doing ‘for’ people we take away the privilege and special feeling we get when we accomplish something independently.

I’m old enough for The Andy Griffith Show to have been one of my favorite childhood television programs.? Even today, cable television makes it possible to relive this family entertainment.? You can still see the ongoing challenge Sheriff Andy experiences attempting to mentor his deputy Barney into a competent police officer.

It seemed every episode involved Andy teaching his assistant the ‘whys’ and ‘how-to’s’ of life.? Then Barney would set out to deal with real situations and mess it up virtually every time.? Despite his bumbling personality and mistake prone actions, Andy was always there to counsel, retrain, console, and send Barney out to engage the world one more time.

Andy certainly had his fair share of frustration and at times, had to bail Barney out of his precarious situations.? (There was a good reason Barney never attained the level of competence that allowed him to go beyond one bullet in his gun) Even so, Andy refrained from doing ‘for’ Barney.? He displayed a remarkable degree of self-control and remained committed ‘to’ Barney and his continual development.

Loosen the reins and watch people run . . .

Questions to Ponder:

What things am I doing for people they can do for themselves?

In what specific situations could I loosen my grip and maintain a ‘light touch?’