08/15/2024

Teaching with Mind and Heart

Provide guidance, boundaries to help your team grow

A friend of mine, a retired surgeon, recently told me that when he was a resident, a senior surgeon told the surgeons in training, "There is virtually nothing you can get into that I cannot get you out of."

This advice was not a recipe for recklessness but rather an acknowledgment that the surgeons needed to make their own decisions, learning as they went. And if a mistake did occur, the senior surgeon could come to the rescue. Such an approach assured the younger surgeons that they needed to learn the practice of surgery with real-time lessons.

Merit support

Digging deeper into the statement of getting someone out of trouble, we see a statement of support. It means, "I have your back." When a subordinate knows that his boss is supporting him, he can act with a sense of autonomy. This support is not a permission slip to act without responsibility. Instead, it says, "I know you can do the job."

Please select this link to read the complete article from SmartBrief.