What to do when your subordinates know more than you?
You are leading a team and you try to hire experts to do the work that needs to be done. And after a while you realize that you are the weak link in the team, because they know more about the field than you.
Or you were a worker yourself and you were promoted to lead a team. You only know your area and now the area has broadened. You know less than the people you lead and again you think you are the weak link.
But the real question is … are you really the weak link, because you don’t know the field that well?
The real confidence comes from within.
Knowing the field, and your work is good, but not knowing doesn’t make you a bad leader.
Also, it doesn’t mean your subordinates will take advantage of your lack of knowledge. It also doesn’t mean you will be making bad decisions because of that.
You run a field but more importantly you lead people.
Supporting your team and RECOGNIZING their needs is sometimes more important than knowing the specifics.
You have a group of experts under you, that you hired smartly and made sure that they know what are they doing.
Is it ok if you are not the most knowledgeable person in the team? YES.
You have a more important role: inspiring you team, making sure that they are happy, content, feeling safe, feeling that they can trust you, having room to be honest, heard and appreciated.
Be a leader that doesn’t always know everything, that doesn’t always have the answer and solution and is always right.
Be a leader that your team can count on.
