Ep 007: Developing and Empowering Your Team

What is going on change makers? Welcome back to bread to lead the podcast that empowers you to unleash your leadership potential and make a lasting impact. I'm your host, Dr.
Jake Taylor Jacobs, and I'm on a mission to help you cultivate the mindset and skills to lead with purpose. Authenticity.
I always get that word wrong. Authenticity in heart.
I want to let you guys know something about this pod class

I make no edits

I make no revisions because leadership is an ugly game. And my biggest thing in bringing you guys this pod class, I like to say, is to share my ideas and share the things that I've developed over the years and dealt with leadership all across the world in over 22 countries.
I've had the blessing to help cultivate and empower over, shoot, now 15,000 people, over 15,000 people in 22 countries. So I'm excited about that.
And in case you guys did not know, this podcast is the after conversation or extended conversation from my newest book, People First, Results Second, The Ultimate Guide to Leadership within any organization or within any industry. So I think it's very important that you guys go to Amazon and go get People First, Results Second, and then find me on LinkedIn.
Let me know that you got the book. Let me know that you that you're diving into it if you are a leader that wants to create change where you are whether you're a leader of yourself or a leader of many get the book for multiple people so you guys can have the conversation about what can you do to turn your organization around and then not only turning your organization around what can you do past that to become great leaders within life? Because leadership is supposed to extend past your job or your industry is supposed to be the way of living.
So today we're diving into one of the most critical skills for any leader. And I know I say that every episode, but I think all of these are critical.
But this is one of the most critical skills, which is developing and empowering your team. In our last episode, we explored effective communication and conflict resolution, the foundational abilities that allow you to build trust, alignment and psychological safety with your people.
But once you've established that baseline of healthy relationships, your next job as a leader is to help your team members grow, stretch and reach their full potential.

Oh, let me pause right here for one second. Did y'all know that we topped out at one hundred and two this past weekend, the weekend of the May 20th, 2024? our podcast actually reached at one point 102 in the entire country united states i said the world a couple of times but i was just excited i think the apple podcast rating is in the u.s so in the u.s we have the 102nd ranked at one point a podcast so we fluctuate between 102 and 160 just kind of depending on the podcast we don't post regularly because we want to make sure that the information that we have is is impactful into this podcasting thing is like a hobby of mine that adds value to our company Sips Consultants or aka Sips Healthcare Solutions which is a consulting advisory and staffing company within the healthcare space.

This is just our extended voice, a place where people can come and get the training that they need or hear what we're doing to develop our leaders in ways that can be applied wherever you are, no matter the industry.

So we were 100 in second. So whatever you're doing, the rankings, the watches, the shares, please keep sharing it out as we keep growing and expanding our leadership, because leadership is a people to people sport, a heart to heart.
And we want to make sure that people are leading with their heart and not this cold corporate mess that has been created to be a norm that burns a lot of people out and lets them feel makes them feel like they're not worthy So I want to thank you guys for supporting the pie class and let's keep building Let's keep growing and let's keep inspiring because y'all are the change makers Whether you realize it or not you are a change maker if you're listening to this podcast where to lead if you're participating in our community Listen, you are a change maker and let's make sure that we keep doing that so remember go to amazon people first results second by dr jay taylor jacobs go ahead and get that newest book it's officially going to be publicly launched in june the first week of june my birthday month but on this podcast if you are listening you can go ahead and get that book now and i would actually recommend that you get it for you and your team or you and somebody that you want to actually start having that conversation with how can we become better leaders because it's the leaders that change the world okay and uh so yeah now listen we're talking about developing and empowering your team this is what separates good leaders from great ones good leaders focus on getting results through their own heroic efforts Great leaders focus on getting results by empowering others to be heroes. They understand that their success as a leader is directly tied to the success and growth of their team.
And in today's fast paced, ever changing business environment, this couldn't be more important. The challenges we face are too complex.
The stakeholders we serve are too diverse and the pace of change is too rapid for any one leader to have all the answers. The only way to thrive amidst this complexity is to harness the full intelligence, creativity, and passion of your people.
But here's the thing, empowering your team isn't about abdicating your responsibilities as a leader or letting people run amok without accountability. It's about creating the conditions that allow them to take ownership, make decisions, and do their best work within the appropriate guardrails and expectations.
It's about developing their competence and confidence to handle more complexity and ambiguity over time. So how do you do this? How do you develop your team members skills and leadership capacity? How do you give them autonomy while still providing them guidance and support? How do you know when to step in and when to step back? These are all the questions that we're going to explore today, drawing on decades of research and human motivation, adult development, high-performing teams.
I'll share stories and examples from my own leadership journey, as well as insights from some of the world's top thought leaders and practitioners in this space. We'll start with one of the most robust and practical frameworks I found for understanding what drives human motivation and performance.
Self-determination theory developed by psychologist Edward Deci, D-E-C-I and Richard Ryan. Self-determination theory suggests that all human beings have three core psychological needs.
The first one is autonomy. The need to feel a sense of choice and ownership over our actions.
Second is competence. The need to feel capable and effective in what we do.
The third is relatedness. The need to feel connected to and cared for by others.

When these needs are met, we tend to feel more energized, engaged and self-motivated in our work in lives. We're most likely to take initiative, persist through challenges and perform at our best.
In contrast, when these needs are thwarted, we tend to be or feel more controlled, discouraged, or disengaged. We're more likely to just go through the motions or do the bare minimum just to get by.
As a leader, your role is to create the conditions that allow your team members to experience autonomy, develop competence, and feel a sense of relatedness or belonging. This is the essence of empowering leadership, giving people the freedom, skills, and support to step into their full potential.
So let's break down each of these needs and what it looks like to nurture them in your day to day leadership.

Autonomy. Autonomy is the need to feel a sense of choice and ownership over our actions.

When we feel autonomous, we feel like the origin or source of our behavior rather than just being a pawn being controlled by external forces.

We feel trusted to make decisions, try new approaches, and learn from both successes and failures. To support your team's autonomy, look for opportunities to give them meaningful choices and involve them in decisions that affect their work.
This could be as simple as letting them decide how to run a meeting or prioritize their task list for the week. Or it could be as significant as inviting them to co-create the strategy and success metrics for a new project or initiative.
The key is to give them real ownership and decision-making power within appropriate boundaries and expectations. This doesn't mean letting them do whatever they want without accountability, but it does mean resisting the urge to micromanage or constantly override their judgment.
It means being clear about the outcomes you're aiming for, but giving them space to chart their own path to get there. For an example, one leader I coached was struggling with a team member who kept missing deadlines and turning in subpart work.

His initial instinct was to crack down and monitor her every move. But when he reflected on it through the lens of autonomy, he realized he'd been giving her very little context or choice in her assignments.
So instead he sat her down and said, hey, listen, I've noticed that you seem to be struggling

to meet the expectations for your work lately.

And I'm wondering if I've been too prescriptive

in my approach and not giving you enough ownership,

what do you think is going on

and how can I support you being more successful?

Just asking the right type of question and not coming down.

This opened up an honest conversation

where team members shared,

Thank you. how can I support you being more successful? Just asking the right type of question and not coming down.
This opened up an honest conversation where the team members shared that she felt micromanaged and unclear on how her work fit into the bigger picture. Together, they identified some areas where she could take on more decision-making authority as well as some guardrails and checkpoints to ensure accountability.
They also agreed on weekly one-on-one meetings to provide context, remove obstacles, and monitor progress. Over time, this approach not only improved her performance, but also her engagement and leadership capacity.
She felt trusted to use her judgment and learn from her mistakes, while still having the support and guidance she needed. And the leader was able to step back and focus on more strategic priorities, knowing that she had the autonomy to handle her responsibilities effectively.
Now, of course, autonomy doesn't mean leaving your people to fend for themselves, change makers, or setting them up to fail. As a leader, you still need to

provide necessary resources, information, development, training, opportunities for your

team to be successful. You need to be available to offer guidance and course correct when needed.

But the more you can give them ownership and involve them in the process, the more motivated

and capable they'll become over time. The second thing is competence.
So the first was autonomy. Now we're on competence, write that down.
Competence. Competence is the need to feel capable and effective in what we do.
When we feel competent, we feel like we have the skills and abilities to navigate challenges and make meaningful progress. We feel a sense of growth and mastery that fuels our intrinsic motivation to keep learning and improving.
To develop your team's competence, look for opportunities to stretch them beyond their current capabilities and provide the support they need to rise to the challenge. This could involve giving them a project or a role that's slightly beyond their skill level and then breaking it down into manageable chunks and milestones.
It could involve pairing them with a more experienced peer or mentor who can coach them through the learning curve. Or it can involve investing in formal training and development programs to build specific skills and knowledge.
The key is to strike a balance

between challenge and support.

You want to push your team members

outside the comfort zone,

but not so far that they become overwhelmed or discouraged.

You want to provide guidance and feedback along the way,

but not so much that you're robbing them

of the opportunity to figure themselves out for themselves.

It's a delicate dance.

It takes two, baby. It takes two, baby.
Me and you. It takes two.
This delicate dance requires you to continuously calibrate based on each person's needs and readiness. One tool that I found to be helpful for this is situational, is the situational leadership model developed by Ken Blanchard, I believe, and Paul Hershey.
Ken Blanchard and Paul Hershey created the situational leadership model. The model suggests that your leadership style should adapt based on the competence and the commitment of the person that you're leading, leading on a given task or a goal.
For an example, if someone is new, right, to a task and feeling uncertain, you might need to provide more and more directive guidance and hands-on approach. This is what we, this is what in the model is called the S1 or telling leadership style.
But as they start to develop competence and confidence,

you gradually want to shift more to the S2 or selling style where you're still providing

guidance, but also encouraging them to take more ownership. And as they become even more capable

and self-motivated, you can now move to an S3 or participating style where you're more of a

collaborator and a thought leader. Finally, when they reach a high level of competence and commitment, you can adopt the S4 or the delegating style where you're empowering them to take lead and make decisions with the minimal supervision.
What I call what I typically say, I say, listen, you cannot delegate until you duplicate and regulate. So you teach them how to regulate their role.
Then you teach them how to duplicate themselves from the role. Then you teach them how to delegate the role.
And then you have a role that's automated. OK, so the beauty of this model is that it recognizes the leadership.
That leadership is not a one size fit all. What works for one person in one situation might not work for another.
And what works for someone today might not work for them six months from now. And as they grow and develop, you have to change.
One of the biggest nomenclatures that I always say is, when facts change, so do I. And the issue that I see a lot of people in leadership is, well, this work is always work.

There's going to work. No.
When facts change, when the information change, the quality of the person change, when the environment changes, when society changes, when the type of team members that I have change, I have to change as well to grow and develop as a leader. Your job as a leader is to continuously diagnose where each team member is at on the competence commitment spectrum and adapt your approach accordingly.
Now, of course, developing competence takes time, patience, and investment. It means being willing to slow down and let your team members make mistakes and learn from them rather than always jumping in with the answers.
Hello, somebody. It means setting aside your own ego and realizing that your job is not to be the smartest person in the room, but to help everyone else get smarter.
It means celebrating progress and effort, not just results, knowing that growth is often a messy and non-linear process. I hope y'all are getting this change makers.
If you just adapt this information, go back over and listen, you're going to find that a lot of us have actually been stagnant leaders. And that's why our organizations are typically stagnant.
But when you get it right, the payoff is huge. You end up with a team of confident, capable people who are energized by challenge and learning.
You free yourself up to focus on higher level strategy and vision rather than getting bogged down in a day to day. And you create a virtuous cycle of development where your initial investment in your team's growth begins to pay dividends for years to come.
How you invest will be what you get passively within your organization.

I'm telling you this right now.

Now, the third one is relativeness.

OK, that that relativity, the relatedness is the need to feel connected to and cared

for by others.

That's the third one.

When we feel a sense of belonging and interpersonal support, we're more likely to feel safe and take risks, ask for help. It brings our whole selves to work where we're more likely to go above and beyond for our teammates and find meaning and purpose in our collective efforts.
To foster relatedness on your team, look for opportunities to strengthen the human bonds and show genuine care for your people beyond just their work output. This could be as simple as starting your one on ones with the check in.
Like, listen, how are you doing personally? Sending a thoughtful note on the work anniversary. It could be as involved as planning regular team building activities and retreats to deepen relationships and trust, connecting with them with their spouses because they're humans.
They deal with life every single day and to only segment them to or work with them or build relationships within the organization or within the company that you're in, you're not ever going to get the full capability of that person. The key is to create a team culture where people feel seen, valued, and invested in as a whole human being, not just a cog in a machine, where they feel safe to be vulnerable and authentic, knowing that they'll be met with empathy and understanding, and where they feel a sense of shared identity and purpose that transcends any one project or goal.
One of the most powerful ways to build relatedness is simply through your own modeling and behavior as a leader. When you show up with vulnerability, curiosity, and a care in your own interactions, it sets the tone for everyone else to do the same.
When you prioritize relationships and take the time to really know and appreciate your team members, it communicates that people matter more than just transactions or outputs. For an example, one leader that I work with made it a practice to start every team meeting with a brief proud moment where each person shared something that they were personally proud of from the past week, whether work related or not.
This simple ritual not only helped people feel seen and appreciated, but it also normalized talking about life beyond just work and created a more empathetic and a higher connection with everyone with the team. Another leader, our coach made it a priority to regularly skip level meetings and lunches.
I'm sorry, to have, I said regularly skip, I'm sorry, to regularly have lunch meetings and lunches with employees that are two or three levels below her, just to get to know them in their aspirations so that she knew exactly how to cultivate them in a way based on what they want. Okay, this not only helped the individuals feel valued and invested in, but it also sent a powerful message to the rest of the organization about the importance of caring for and growing your people.

Y'all, people development and leadership development is like gardening. OK, once you put them in soil, you got to water them.
Give them a little sunshine, sunshine and rain. You got to give them all.
And guess what? Building relatedness doesn't mean that they'll become your best friends with your team, blurring the professional boundaries.

But it does mean a shying away from what used to be considered inappropriate. Having a regular conversation with a human being is OK.
But it doesn't. It also doesn't mean shying away from tough conversations or holding people accountable for their performance and behavior.
It means leading with empathy, compassion, genuine interest for the human behind the job title. It means giving people a psychologically safe and emotionally connected environment that allows for them to see the opportunity more than just the opportunity, but a chance for them to grow as human beings in the world that we live in.
Now, this concept is based on the self-determination theory, autonomy, competence, and relatedness. And as a leader, your job is to intentionally nurture all three in your day-to-day interactions and team environment.
When you do this consistently and authentically, amazing things will continue to happen. People will take more ownership and initiative rather than waiting to be told what to do.
They will stretch themselves and develop new skills rather than stagnating themselves to their comfort zones. They'll collaborate and support each other through thick and thin rather than competing or undermining.
And they'll bring more creativity and passion to the table versus waiting for you to give them another check in order for them to grow and expand. But here's the thing.
Developing and empowering your team is not a one-time event or a box to check. It's an ongoing practice in a way of being a leader.
It requires you to be continuously reflective of how you're showing up and how you're impacting others. It requires for you to be patient, persistent, and willing to adapt your approach based on each person's unique needs and growth journey.
Listen, leadership is not a position that you hold. It is a calling that you accept.
You hear me? Leadership is not a position that you hold, but a calling that you accept to empower others to step up in leading means that you it doesn't mean that you lose power control. It means that you give them access to take control and power of their own responsibilities within your organizations.
But here's the do. I'm also going to tell you this.
It's hard. it is hard it takes maturity takes patience.
It takes you looking at people for who they could be, not where they are. Okay.
But when you think about the impact that you can make on one person, that they can become autonomous, they can become competent. You teach them that connectivity matters.
You're going to be creating change agents that you have no idea that will run through a brick wall and no blood will be spattered on them because of one simple thing. You taught them how to be great.
The beauty and the paradox of leadership is the passion and pain that you both have, pain and pleasure that you get from being able to groom somebody to becoming an amazing person. And when you take time to truly develop people and get past whatever their feelings or emotions are, that trust that you have with them, them being able to trust the fact that you're going to do right by them, by their performance, by their ability, I'm telling you, you're going to develop high performance.
Your organization is going to look great. It's going great.
It's going to be amazing. So before we end, I want you to reflect on a couple of things.
Where are you giving your team true autonomy to make decisions and own their outcomes? Where might you be micromanaging or over-functioning? How are you stretching them and supporting them to grow beyond their current competence? What new challenges or development opportunities can you give them? How are you supporting that stretching with training, development, mentorship, and other things that are outside of your organization that can provide support? How are you fostering relatedness and psychological safety for your team? How well do you know and care for them as human beings, not just employees? What's one conversation you can have, one conversation that you can have or action that you can take this week to empower someone to step more fully into their potential? And if you're not formally yet in a leadership role, remember that you can still practice these skills and mindsets with your peers, project teams and the other spheres of influence. Leadership is not just about a title or position.
It's about the way that you show up and the impact that you have on others and developing and empowering the people around you. It's one of the most powerful ways to lead regardless of your role.
So keep honing this muscle with intention and heart. Keep looking for opportunities to nurture autonomy, competence, and relatedness in both big and small ways and keep believing in people's potential even when they sometimes stumble or disappoint you because that belief is the spark that ignites their intrinsic motivation and allows them to achieve things that you never and they never thought was possible.

Your leadership matters more than you know.

And my deepest hope is that the insights

and the stories I explored with you today

will not only help you step up to becoming a powerful leader,

but you empower others and you share this information,

you share this podcast,

you share this conversation that we're having with others so y'all can begin to figure out ways you can impact people in more ways you can imagine. And as always, I'm so grateful for you and the important work that you do.
If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague who could benefit from it. And I'd love to hear from your own experiences and lessons learned about empowering your team.
Drop me a line through the website, breadtolead.com or follow me on LinkedIn. Find Dr.
Jake Taylor Jacobs, T-A-Y-L-E-R on all platforms, specifically LinkedIn. Let's keep this conversation going.
Let's support each other in this wild, wonderful leadership journey. And until next time, change agents,

keep leading from love. And remember, your greatest legacy is the leaders that you leave behind,

not the money that's in your pocket. This is Dr.
Jake Taylor Jacobs, and this is Bread to Lead.

Share it, explore it, and I'll see you on the other side. Peace.