One of the questions I ask leaders is this: “Is your team resilient because of you… or because of themselves?”
It’s not always an easy question to consider – and often times, even more challenging to answer.
Many leaders become incredibly good at helping their teams through difficult periods.
They solve problems.
Shield people from pressure.
Remove obstacles.
Support everyone.
Those behaviours come from a genuine desire to help, but over time I realised something.
If my team could only navigate uncertainty because I was constantly there to guide every step, then I hadn’t really built resilience. I’d built dependence.
Real resilience looks different.
It looks like people who remain calm when priorities shift.
Who solve problems together, support each other before waiting for direction and who ask thoughtful questions instead of immediately looking for answers.
That’s the kind of capability organisations need today.
One of the principles that sits at the heart of Leading Through Others is helping leaders create confidence before it’s needed.
Not waiting until change arrives.
Building capability every day.
Encouraging critical thinking.
Developing judgement.
Creating trust.
Strengthening relationships.
These are the things that make teams resilient long before the next change programme begins.
So this week, ask yourself: If I was away for a month, would my team continue growing—or would everything pause until I returned?
That question tells us a lot about the capability we’ve created.
#LeadingThroughOthers #Leadership #Resilience #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadingChange #PeopleLeadership
Leave a Reply