From Chief Problem Solver to Architect of Success: The Blueprint
In my last newsletter, I wrote about foundations. The beliefs that sit beneath our leadership are the often-invisible assumptions that shape how we lead, delegate, communicate, and make decisions.
Because every building starts with a foundation, doesn't it (hopefully you are saying 'yes')?
But a strong foundation alone isn't enough. Before even starting the foundation, you also need a blueprint, the design for what you are building. Imagine turning up to a construction site with a great team, quality materials and plenty of enthusiasm. Then someone asks: "So, what are we building?" And everyone gives a different answer.
One person starts building a wall.
Another starts laying flooring.
Someone else is installing windows.
Everyone is busy and working hard, yet somehow very little progress is being made. Does that sound familiar to you?
Having renovated our house last year, I understand how crucial the blueprint is.
I see this all the time in leadership. Many years ago, I was being interviewed for a role I really wanted. At the first interview (there were four!), I asked, 'What does success look like in this role?' And the two people interviewing me didn't have an answer; it was all very vague. I asked the same question at each interview stage, and only ever got a wishy-washy answer. Then I was the successful candidate and joined a small team of five senior leaders. Turns out, they didn't really know what success looked like either - they just focused on the tasks and got on with their role. That meant at the end of the year, we had been busy, but didn't make any impact, so it was very disappointing. There wasn't a plan, and we were all doing something slightly different, and there was no coherence.
If leaders, who are working incredibly hard, but haven't stopped to create a clear blueprint for success, then they spend their days:
Answering questions
Clarifying priorities
Resolving confusion
Chasing updates
Reworking tasks
Managing competing expectations
Not because their team isn't capable, but because the blueprint isn't clear.
One of the biggest myths in leadership is that people need more motivation. In my experience, most teams don't need more motivation; they need more clarity. Because people generally want to do a good job. They want to contribute; they want to feel successful, but they can't build what they can't see, and that's where leaders often get caught. When something isn't happening the way they want, they jump in and do it themselves.
It feels quicker.
Easier.
More efficient.
But every time you step in without creating clarity, you're effectively becoming the blueprint. Your team learns that the answer lives with you, that the direction lives with you, that the decision-making lives with you, and before long, you're wondering why everyone keeps coming back to you for answers.
The reality is that confusion loves a vacuum. When expectations aren't clear, people fill in the gaps themselves, and sometimes they get it right, and sometimes they don't. But either way, you'll find yourself spending more time correcting than leading.
That's why one of the most valuable questions a leader can ask is:
"Have I made the blueprint (or plan) visible?"
Not just in your own head, visible to everyone else.
Do your people understand:
What success looks like?
What matters most?
Who owns what?
How decisions are made?
What good performance looks like?
Because when the blueprint is clear, something remarkable happens, people stop needing you for every little thing, they start making decisions, taking ownership, solving problems, using their judgement, and that's when leadership becomes a whole lot more enjoyable.
Many years ago, I joined a very small team (different to the one above). My boss was a new emerging leader. She had to build the team quickly, and we went from 3 team members to 45 people over a 6-month period. The trap for her was that she always had a queue of people at her desk waiting to ask her questions. She was an expert, totally knew what she was doing, and always had the answer for them. However, there was no time in her day, between answering questions and running between meetings, to focus on what her role actually was - leading, building the blueprint and communicating it. It took some time, and with encouragement, she started asking the team members what they had considered already and she started sharing the blueprint - the big picture. Over time, the queue became smaller and then non-existent. She had time to lead, build a blueprint, and communicate it. The whole team became even stronger for it.
The leaders I work with often tell me they want a team that is more accountable, proactive and independent. And this is where I check in with them - and ask, 'Where is their blueprint, and does their team have it?'
But accountability isn't built through reminders, ownership isn't built through chasing, and independence isn't built through control. They are built on clarity because a clear blueprint gives people confidence, direction, and something to build towards. So this week, I'd encourage you to reflect on one question:
Where am I expecting my team to read a blueprint that only exists in my head?
Because if your foundation is your beliefs, your blueprint is your clarity. And great leadership requires both.
If you're wondering where the gaps in your leadership blueprint might be, my Are You Leading at the Right Level? Scorecard will help you identify what's keeping you stuck in the doing, where your team may be relying on you too heavily, and the areas that need strengthening to create a more capable, independent team. Take the scorecard here.
Maree