Back in the day, and hopefully this does not mean last week for you ... the leader stood in the middle of everything and directed the team with one-way communication. Essentially that leader would say, “jump” and the followers would need to know how high.

As this leader progresses she / he allows for two-way communication, but the leader is still in the middle directing the activities of the group.

Continuing this progression, the leader steps out of the middle - and becomes a part of the team. This also allows for better communication – actually between team members. The leader is still responsible, but does not ‘push’ her / his people, they tend to ‘pull’ to get people to follow them – not to push and micro-manage them.

As the leader progresses even further, they can actually step away from the day-to-day aspects of the area. This affords even more communication between the members of the team. Again, you cannot do this until you have helped the team members interact with each other on a ‘level playing field.’ This is why you should be familiar with the elements in this book that can help you build those essential skills for your subordinates – so you can be free to work on the more strategic elements of your job instead of the tactical.

The skill required for this process is critical because the typical leader’s area of span and control is not retracting, it’s expanding! So, you will be required to ‘run’ multiple departments, and that cannot be done effectively if you are ‘stuck’ in the middle of one trying to direct everything.

Now, keep in mind, when you step away, do not disengage! Because you ‘cannot expect what you don't inspect.’ So, as you have allowed for the skills of your teams to be sufficient enough for you to ‘step away,’ you must be accessible and continue to coach and hold everyone accountable.

Facilitative leaders also have courage. This starts when we are very young …

Courage is exemplified by the leader that has the ability to not fold under pressure. Take this situation; you have been coaching a direct report on leading an important project. ‘Fast forward’ --- the project does not reach its target. Your boss calls you in and asks, “What the h_ _ _ happened?!” Most people in that situation would start to explain about how they have been coaching a member of their team, "Blah, blah, blah." Wrong answer! A facilitative leader would have the courage to say something like, “I am responsible, and I will make sure that doesn't happen again...” Now that takes courage. You don't ‘turn the person in’ to the boss. You are ultimately responsible for your group’s output, so act like it!

Now, you do have some conversations with that direct report about what happened. Clearly there were some miscues during the ‘coaching’ process that need to be revisited. Keep in mind during these ‘discussions’ that it is and was a two-way street. It is the employee’s responsibility to accomplish the goals and it is your responsibility to be sure your people are on-track.

Another essential ability facilitative leaders possess are their capacity to ‘take counsel.’ They have the ability to listen to multiple points of view, including those of people who typically do not agree with them. This is a powerful trait because you tend to have more complete input, thus making better decisions. To do this, a leader must be able to capture the key kernels of information. They have to be able to maintain bridges between people and create an atmosphere where people share information with each other – largely because they have earned respect, even from people who usually do not see things the same way.