I'm trying to adopt a coaching management style so that my team develops their skills and independence. I'm practising the common techniques of asking lots of questions, using active listening and resisting the urge to jump into situations with my "I can solve this!" superhero cape on.
One area I still find difficult is when my team asks for validation of an idea or approach they plan to take. Because they are a wonderful, smart bunch, the idea is often great. I want them to have the confidence to do it anyway, without checking for approval.
I've considered responding with "It's your project, I trust you to make that call.", but I worry it comes across as dismissive or disinterested. Does anyone have any tips for handling this situation?
In response to questions:
you don't want to manage?
I'm trying hard to be a better manager. I'd like to build my team's confidence in their own ideas, which I worry won't happen if I'm regularly involved in the loop to approve them.
I'm not trying to be unusual for the sake of it, nor to gain popularity. It seemed a reasonable goal to try and develop my team's confidence and ability to make autonomous decisions. FWIW, my team does actually invent things, but my question relates to the many decisions they take during their day jobs. Perhaps you can summarise your thoughts in an answer?
I just feel that if my team is regularly asking me to bless their smaller decisions, which are invariably correct, something is broken. I would think part of the reason I get paid additional "manager money", is because I try and improve this situation. I still expect to weigh in on lots of matters and ultimately to set the team direction. It's their confidence in the smaller stuff I want to improve. Ontamu's answer seems to describe a possible underlying cause in the "four stages" concept.