Good leaders know when to engage

As a leader, you have to know when to engage. Here in Atlanta, the end of school is upon us and in many suburban neighborhoods, that means the annual water fight. In big neighborhoods, that means parents lined up at the bus stop with coolers full of water balloons, but in our little neighborhood (with only four school aged children) it means a scheduled meet up time in the street with coolers full of water and a variety of water guns to choose from. It also means that everyone gets in on the action, because we all know that a water gun fight with only four people isn’t that fun, but we also know that there’s nothing more fun than soaking your parents.

Leaders face the same sort of decisions, when deciding when they do (and do not) engage and when they do (and do not) arm their employees. There are times when leaders need to let the teams do it on their own. There are times when leaders need to participate. There are times when leaders need to take the full responsibility for the action. And there are times when the leaders need to make sure that everyone has the power to control the outcome. There is no one right way to lead, like there is not one right way to celebrate the end of the school year. It’s up to you to know what will be best for those around you. In my case, it’s grabbing a watergun I’m getting drenched from head to toe.