Many managers want to help people out and believe that means doing the work for them. The truth is, helping people out means having your people do it themselves.

What does it really mean to help people out? There is a common misconception amongst managers regarding what it means to help and support people.

While the majority of managers truly want to help their people become as successful as they can be, many managers believe that helping out their team means doing the work or providing the answers for them. After all, based on their prior sales experience and successes, the manager is often the subject matter expert and believes that sharing their wisdom or shouldering some of their direct report’s responsibilities is how you help others.

Conversely, the more effective way to help others is by empowering people to do it themselves by coaching them to create their own solution. The great leaders know that when managing a team, to lead with questions, rather than lead with answers.

Think about any sport. During a soccer game, when the coach is observing from the sidelines, you never see the coach run onto the field and play in the game to help his team win. If the coach has effectively trained, coached, and developed his players off the field, just like any manager, you let your team do the work when they’re on the field and playing in the game so they can win on their own.

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