Can Your Team Function Without You?

Welcome to another Flexible Success newsletter. Each edition includes a tip, a quote, a question and an interesting read - all related to flexible work. It's designed to be quick and easy to digest, and to provide you with some food for thought for the week ahead.

Theme: Can Your Team Function Without You?

A TIP

If you're working part-time and leading a team, it can be hard to switch off on your non-work days.

In fact, many people would tell you that there's no point even trying to do a leadership role part-time.

But think about what this actually means. If your team can’t function without you for a day or two a week, I would argue that you haven’t created the conditions for team success, regardless of whether you work full-time or part-time.

Let’s put the part-time thing aside for a minute. What happens when you’re in an all day board meeting? Or on a client site for two days straight? Or when you’re sick? Or on holidays?

The best leaders focus on creating the conditions for their teams to thrive without their constant presence. To solve problems and make decisions themselves, in alignment with the team's objectives.

This benefits your team, your organisation and your customers. It also enables you to feel confident that things are under control when you're not around. And to switch off.

A QUOTE

“At day’s end, the true test of effective leadership manifests itself when a leader is absent” - Louis Efron

A QUESTION

What's one thing you could do to enable your team to function well when you're not around?

AN INTERESTING READ

This Forbes article expands on the idea that the most effective leaders work hard to make themselves redundant. It's written in the context of taking holiday leave, but the principle applies equally well to the non-working days of leaders working part-time.

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