Recently, I’ve been thinking about the difference between being involved and being aware. For leaders there is a big difference between the two when they lead their people.
The Aware Leader
The aware leader wants to be up to speed on everything that is going on, but they don’t have to be the one making decisions their employees can make. Once they are up to speed, they trust their employees to make the right decisions. They give their employees the ability to make things happen because they take themselves out of the decision making process where they don’t need to be included.
Some of the positives of this type of leader are that they let people work with less interruptions. They do want to know what is going on so they request email updates on a regular basis.
The negatives of this type of leader are that they not only let their employees make decisions, but they expect them to make decisions on their own. Their employees need to have a good grasp on their job so that they can make decisions on their own.
The Involved Leader
The involved leader wants to be included when making all decisions. They are much more of a hands on leader than the aware leader. They go farther than just being aware, because they are aware and they make all the decisions. They have the final word on everything.
The positives of the involved leader is that they are a great go-to person. They have all the answers because they make all the decisions. They also are good at finding solutions because they do it regularly.
The negatives are that everything must go through them. Their employees have a hard time getting things done because the leader wants to be their on every decision. The employees under the involved leader have a hard time coming up with their own decisions because the leader has the final say. The employees lose the desire to come up with a solution because they know that it will be shot down if it isn’t the leader’s decision.
How Do You Lead?
How do you lead your employees? Do you make all the decisions or do your employees, or do you fall somewhere in between? Just as every person is different, every leader is different. There is a wide spectrum of where people fall in terms of aware vs. involved.
Have you seen or worked for these types of leaders? Please share your comments in the comment section below!
Brandon W. Jones 
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