It’s Not Support If It Enables (6 of 6 Part Series)
Episode #101 Host: Tammy J. Bond
In the final episode of our 6 Part Series, Tammy delivers a hard truth: some of the support you're giving your team isn't helping—it's enabling. This episode busts the myth that constantly helping will lead to growth and exposes the codependent patterns that can quietly destroy a team's culture. Tammy reveals how over-functioning for your people can lead to burnout among your top talent and a cycle of learned helplessness in your low performers. She provides a reset with 3 clear steps to stop rescuing and start truly empowering your team. Your job is to coach, not to coddle.
Key Takeaways for Leaders
- Helping Can Be Hurtful: "Support becomes enablement when you take the responsibility for someone else's growth."
- The Codependent Cycle: You rely on your team to make you feel needed, and they rely on you to fix their problems.
- The High Cost of Coddling: Over-functioning for a low performer can cause your top talent to feel undervalued and lead to a 20% increase in overall turnover.
- Recognize the Signs: You're rescuing instead of leading if you're more invested in solving their problems than they are, or if you feel guilty when they fail.
- Break the Cycle: Coach people forward, not where they're at.
The Three Steps to Truly Support Growth
- Name It and Claim It: Step in and address the pattern directly. Acknowledge that you've been solving their issues and state that it's not sustainable.
- Give Responsibility Back: Map out what success looks like and make it clear that your role is a resource, not a rescuer.
- Hold the Line: Set clear boundaries and expectations. If they don't act, don't step in. Let the natural consequences of their inaction play out.
Leadership Sandbox Podcast is brought to you by Tammy J. Bond
In today's swift-moving employee market leaders are far too often putting people that are technically good at their jobs into leadership positions, without first developing them on how to be leaders of people.
How do you course correct, or better yet make sure you don’t make that common mistake? Develop your people to lead others from the moment they join your team. For more tools on how to develop others around you, contact us today. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Amazon Podcast, or Spotify.