Nails (Inside the Leader’s Toolbox Series)

navigator Leadership

“If you have to hold it to have it, then you didn’t hire the right people.”

As a leader, these words from author, pastor, and filmmaker TD Jakes should resonate. As a leader, you should be able to touch many projects, responsibilities, and teams, but you should never have to hold anything for longer than you need to.

Holding something for too long means you’re micromanaging. Or it might mean you don’t trust your people to get the job done. Or you might be insecure. Or you haven’t figured out how to empower your people.

Whatever the case, these are questions of leadership awareness you should be asking yourself:

  • Am I holding on to too many things? If so, why?
  • What can I delegate and let go of?
  • Are my people capable of taking control of give them?

Inside of our toolbox we find items that hold whatever we need to let go of: Nails.

If there is a project you need to delegate, a good rule of thumb for leaders is the 10-80-10 Rule.

  • The leader should drive the first 10% of an idea, discussing the vision, charting the course of direction, and empowering others to see it completed.
  • 80% of the work should be done by the team you’ve empowered, only seeking your counsel if they stumble upon roadblocks or big decisions that could impact the overall vision.
  • The leader should come back for the final 10% by looking for potential oversights, asking questions to make sure everyone has thought through potential problems, and put your stamp of approval and credibility on it.

The 10-80-10 rule lets you start the nail into the wall by placing it where it needs to go, allow the team to drive it in and do what you hired talented people to do, and let you add your experience to approve of the hard work they completed.

The best part? With a good set of nails, you’ll be able to do more of the work you should be doing to take your business or organization to new heights. With a good set of nails, everybody wins.

“If you have to hold it to have it, then you didn’t hire the right people.”

Contact Us

Do you or the leaders in your organization need to develop their toolbox?

Email us at info@nav2lead.com or call us at 888-771-5812

We’ll help you or your leaders figure out a growth plan to equip and lead more effectively to see better results throughout the entire organization.

This blog was written by Nick Sherwood for the Navigator Leadership Corporation.