Leaders must learn to let go.

Leaders that can’t let go block up and stop up the leadership growth curve of the organization, causing promising and potential developing leaders to abandon ship or fade away. A growing organization needs all its developing talented leaders and can’t afford miscalculated turnover. 

Letting Go sounds simple (actually sounds like a song from a children’s movie), but letting go is often one of the hardest lessons that leaders learn. Because, letting go involves determining (a) what to let go, (b) when to let go, (c) most importantly, who to let it go to.

Sometimes, letting go is not an option.  But, this is the exception rather than the rule. Letting go is also not about dropping it and neglecting it. Letting go is a fundamental rule in leadership that allows leaders to prioritize and place responsibilities, activities and actions within capable and developing subordinates for the maximum fluidity and productivity of the team, organization or group.

Some leaders, maybe you, just can’t let go. You know you need to, but somehow you just can’t take the plunge, make the move or cross the bridge. You are stuck holding on to things that you must let go. The thought of letting go creates both anxiety and excitement.

Let’s examine what happens when leaders can’t let go…

Leaders that can’t let go … limit their personal growth. Limit is the key word. There are some limits that are healthy for leaders. There are others that don’t need to exist, but due to fear, mistrust, anxiety, doubt, control or a million other reason spring into existence and stifle the leader’s ability to grow. A limitation is a restriction. Leaders that can’t let go haven’t learned how to properly delegate. Without the ability to work through others, the leader will remain close-fisted and close-fisted leaders are close-minded leaders. There is a risk in releasing real responsibility to others and to subordinates, but the greater danger is the restriction in the leader’s ability toward growth. When you are preoccupied with a thousand details you will float on the stagnant sea of self-exile and self-imposed neutrality. A car doesn’t move in neutral except with the grade of the ground, which means you are at the mercy of the ground, which usually results in sliding backwards or bumping into something. Both, are totally avoidable when leaders learn to change gears. Gear up and gear down for growth. The grade determines the gear.

Leaders that can’t let go … limit the development of others. You are not a leader unless you have followers. And if you have followers then you have influence. Leaders must reproduce other leaders. But, leaders that can’t let go, have GREAT difficulty actualizing development in their subordinates. This type of leader blames the follower or junior leader for their lack of growth, their lack of enthusiasm and their lack of development. Sometimes, truly, it is the fault of the subordinate, but often leaders that can’t let go don’t realize they have their subordinates in a choke hold–cutting of the vital air supply of life that is needed for growth. Leaders that can’t let go, don’t have time for their developing leaders. They simply have occupied their time with needless activities that will never help develop others.

Leaders that can’t let go … occupy their time with needless activities. Needless activity for a leader is described as any activity that someone else in the organization could do equally well or better than the leader. Leaders must use their most precious commodity–time in ways that only the leader can best execute. Too many leaders get lost in the minutia of the tasks. This often creates a log-jam in the organization. Or it creates a “pass-by” effect when subordinates continue to move forward beyond their leader. Insecure-can’t-let-go leaders view this with disdain because it threatens them. Leaders must learn to discern between the perceived threats and thrusts of their subordinates. Thrusts are often perceived as threats. Developing leaders want to advance–they want to grow, they want to move, they want to lead. These advances are often thrusts of leadership independence. Leaders that can’t let go view these thrusts as threats to their personal power, position or authority.

Leaders that can’t let go … create an atmosphere of impossible standards. Nothing is ever good enough for this leader. Those that follow will never fully be able to please or perform up to the leader’s standards or expectations. Setting goals and maintaining clear standards are imperative in any organization. However, leaders that can’t let go, hold their followers and subordinates hostage by the impossible expectation. They project an uncaring attitude and an unrealistic reality. This new reality is often unaware of by the leader,  but fully aware of with everyone else. Alternate realities in organizations are unseen divisions, distractions and destructions.

Leaders that can’t let go … are often demonstrating deep insecurity. Relationships are built on trust, so too are organizations. But, when a leader can’t let go, it is often because they don’t trust those around them to execute effectively. It is healthy for your subordinates to make mistakes. It is not healthy if your subordinates continue to make the same mistake! Just not mistakes that (a) cost a lot of money, (b) involve litigation or (c) endanger lives. Sometimes, the adversity that comes from an honest mistake is the greatest teacher. Obviously, we want to limit the kind of mistakes that carry great consequences. Don’t destroy the confidence of your followers if their mistakes don’t bring great harm or severe consequence. If they acted in good faith and honest intentions, then don’t execute them, rather exonerate them and do a better job of explanation. Insecurity is the culmination of fear. Fears are invisible walls constructed in your mind. The greater the insecurities the more the walls close in. When the walls close in your focus narrows, your trust decreases and your grip tightens.  When you become this leader, you merely need to look back at all the followers or developing leaders that quit following you–there will be bodies scattered along the way. Insecure leaders eject and reject those following them, secure leaders project their followers to greater heights and responsibilities.

Leaders that learn to let go find great peace in the passing-on, because this most often results in the building-up of others and the empowering of others. Your followers are waiting for you to “let it go”. Not only are they waiting…so to are the results!

Leaders that learn to let go become launching pads. Launching pads are places where others take off and reach new heights. A leader must create this mentality and this system in the organization to facilitate the growth and development of other leaders. Leaders that become launching pads are more concerned with the projection of the next generation of leaders than their own personal elevation.  Becoming a launching pad leader requires humility. Humility, because the leader must become lower so the developing leader can go higher.

Conversely, leaders that can’t learn to let go become lilly pads. Lilly pads are pretty to look at, but they can’t hold any weight. Try stepping on a lilly pad and all you will do is sink (unless you are a frog or a small bird and we’re building leaders not frogs!). Leaders that act as lilly pads only produce more lilly pads. Lilly pad leaders want to maintain the pinnacle position in the organization. Subsequently, they are more concerned with maintaining subordinates that secure their personal position. Lilly-pad-can’t-let-go leaders are more concerned with personal elevation

Learn to let go of the non-essentials. Learn to trust others with the essenstials.

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