When thinking of your work team - consider comparing to a major league sports team. How do you interact with your team? Do you, as the manager - or supervisor, go do the task for the employees - or do you team them? The old saying surrounding "teach them how to fish" is quite the valuable lesson. I heard someone, the other day, compare the management team (and style) to sports teams.

As a sports team coach, you guide the employees, teach the plays (and players), develop strategic plans, and motivate. Teams win and teams lose; and they are accountable for the plays they make, or don't. Yet, as a direct manager of teams in our businesses we often find ourselves interceding for team members or just "doing the job" so we know it gets done - and done "right." How are the two types we just compared different? There are millions of dollars at stake... people could be hurt... the brand and company have "shareholders..." The pressure and bosses "above" have the same demands to come out on top...

Granted, it is very hard not to get involved at times... and there are rules about coaches on the field - but are the examples really that different? Bottom line, is that it can be done, and there are hundreds of examples of it working - and working well. Consider benchmarking a sports team - the next time you strategize for development.

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