To empower a team member who seeks approval, it’s crucial to build their confidence and encourage independent decision-making. This can be done by promoting small, low-risk choices, providing clear guidelines, and encouraging self-reflection with questions. Offering constructive feedback to acknowledge successes and normalize mistakes as learning opportunities can foster initiative. Additionally, implementing peer support, decision-making tools, and celebrating progress can improve their skills. Lastly, defining decision checkpoints and modeling decisiveness can enhance their independence and confidence.

As a leader we care about the people we lead, this means we are curious about how to support them and facilitate their growth. To help a teammate who always seek approval, we must first understand what drives them to do so. Examples, are we as leader too cautious in our decision making process or have we created unsafe culture where our team members are not ok with making mistakes. In my view, we need to look hard at ourselves and reflect as leaders. If it is something we can change, do it and perhaps you may see a shift in our team member.

To empower a team member who seeks approval, it's vital to build their confidence and encourage autonomy. Key strategies include defining decision-making boundaries, fostering a growth mindset by normalizing mistakes, and providing decision-making frameworks. Gradually increasing their decision-making responsibilities, starting with low-risk choices, boosts confidence. Using open-ended questions promotes self-reliance, while regular check-ins support their progress and ability to make independent decisions.

Try gradually increasing their responsibilities and giving them opportunities to lead small projects. Additionally, foster a culture where mistakes are seen as learning experiences, helping them feel more secure in their decision making.

To empower a team member who often seeks approval, I’ll start by acknowledging their strengths and expressing my confidence in their abilities. I’ll set clear expectations and provide them with well-defined parameters for decision-making, so they feel secure about making choices within certain boundaries. When they come to me for approval, I’ll encourage them to share their thought process and gently guide them to consider alternative solutions or trust their initial instincts. I’ll also praise their independent efforts publicly to reinforce their confidence. Over time, this approach will help them build trust in their own judgment and reduce their reliance on approval.

The team had talent, but their self-management skills needed improvement. I noticed that even small decisions required my approval, limiting their independence. To change this, I started asking questions like, "What’s your perspective?" Initially, they were hesitant and unsure, but I remained focused on encouraging their autonomy. Over time, I saw a positive transformation. They began to take initiative and make decisions independently. When they faced setbacks, they showed resilience and bounced back stronger. Ultimately, they developed the confidence to lead without relying on my approval. A simple nudge helped them trust in their own abilities.

I often see this with talented team members who just need a confidence boost. When someone constantly seeks approval, I find it's rarely about the decisions themselves - it's about the fear of making wrong ones. So I start by asking, "What's holding you back from making this call yourself?" Start with creating safe practice zones. Give them small decisions first where mistakes won't be costly. Tell them directly: "I trust you to handle this. Let's discuss your decision after, not before." Make their autonomy clear. Say something like, "Anything under $5,000? That's your call. Just keep me updated." Remember, your role isn't to make their decisions easier - it's to build confident decision-makers.

The ADKAR model is a popular approach to managing change within organizations by focusing on five key elements. AWARENESS, i.e. understanding why the change is necessary. Communicate the reasons for the change clearly so everyone knows why it's happening. DESIRE, by getting people to want to participate and support the change through leadership support and addressing any concerns. KNOWLEDGE, it's about providing the information and training needed to know how to change (workshops, training sessions and guidelines). ABILITY, ensuring that people have the skills and capabilities to implement the change. REINFORCEMENT, which can be done through regular check-ins, feedback, and celebrating successes.

Empowering team members to make autonomous decisions is crucial for building a proactive and confident team. Recently, I worked with a team member who often sought approval. By encouraging ownership, providing guidance, recognizing their efforts, and creating a safe environment for learning, I helped them gain confidence in their decision-making abilities. This experience highlights the importance of fostering a culture of trust and support to empower team members to make informed decisions independently. #Leadership #Empowerment #TeamDevelopment #Autonomy #ConfidenceBuilding #ProfessionalGrowth #GRC #PMO