Which leader are you?
The one who tells their team the answers or the one that asks their team for options and recommendations? I definitely thought that I had to have all the answers in the beginning of my leadership journey. I thought I had to know what to tell my team when they had questions and if I didn’t know, then I felt like an impostor. That thinking was so wrong. You have a team for a reason! They need to know the details, and the impacts of various options and to be able to communicate that information to you so you can make the best decision.
You need to ask the challenging questions, set the vision, act as a decision maker on big strategies and an escalation point when needed, clear the path for the team when they have obstacles in the way, listen to them and be the leader who coaches their team to help them grow. You need to lead!
Look at all the things that you are doing each day.
Give your team the opportunities to do the things that you already know how to do. They need the time to learn how to do these things without you. If they don’t try then they will never know what to do and be able to show you what they can accomplish. Your role is to get them ready for the future opportunities that will come their way, not to do their jobs for them. This frees up your time to allow you to have time to plan, influence, be strategic, and manage up.
Find opportunities to give the team visibility to demonstrate that you can build a team that delivers and can operate on their own! Focus on what you should be doing in your role instead of getting into the day to day discussions that your team should be driving. Take the time to show your value and create your own visibility so you can be prepared for your next opportunity too!