How can leaders support employee collaboration and autonomy? Whether your company has a staff of 15 or 500, the teams behind the projects are essential to the success of the whole. Instead of focusing on immediate results—which tend to have short-term benefits at best and often leave employees struggling to stay motivated—leaders can foster cultures of learning that prioritize the personal development of everyone on their team. The outcome? Committed and empowered leaders and team members, as well as sustainable growth that lasts.

In this episode, host Hannah Brown shares how one leader took a step back from the traditional top-down approach and the perceived power of having all the answers. She chose instead to share with her team both the responsibility and the pride of each project’s planning, process, and results. When employees are supported and given space to lean into their strengths and take initiatives that match their skill set and interests, they become part of a more engaged team with serious staying power. One that is confident in their ability to fix mistakes, solve problems, and achieve superior results again and again.

Discover the benefits of becoming a leader who guides rather than commands:

• The team-based alternative to top-down leadership and centralized training;
• What it means to implement a learning-focused approach as a manager;
• Why spending more time in the short term helps achieve lasting outcomes;
• How sharing power, knowledge, and success can reduce stress for leaders.

Important resources from the episode:

• The Impact of Accountability on Organizational Performance in the U.S. Federal Government: The Moderating Role of Autonomy - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0734371X16682816
• Centria University of Applied Sciences “Accountability and Employee Performance Case Study” - https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/147663/Tsafack_%20Kelly.pdf?sequence=1

Connect with the leaders who share their stories on the show:

• Christine Helgerman, Director, St. John's Christian Nursery School - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-helgerman-rece-7b6a9490/

Connect with Hannah:

• Pre-order Into the Hands of Leaders: Employee Growth Through Learning - https://hannahbrown.co/resources/books-and-articles/
• Learn about the programs that help leaders and organizations develop a growth through learning orientation - https://hannahbrown.co/programs/
• Learn more about Hannah’s work - https://hannahbrown.co/