When to Get Your Hands Dirty

“Eyes on, hands-off” captures a recipe many of the best leaders believe in. The idea is to have the pulse of what is going on at every level but to keep your hands off and allow others to do the work they know how to do. 

Establishing guidelines and setting guardrails at the outset of a project is not considered handy work, nor is asking questions and occasionally checking in to assess progress. Once a leader goes into the weeds and offers feedback and suggestions, they rob others of the ultimate accountability for the work, not to mention the satisfaction of delivering quality results. 

The best leaders know by keeping their hands off a work product, others will take more chances and learn on their own how to make the product better. When a leader recognizes that a project or product needs to be saved, then they must put their hands completely on and become fully engaged. Boots on the ground, as they say. 

Do your best to live by the “eyes on, hands-off” mentality and you will see others blossom. When you must put your hands on a work product or project, go all of the way and get those hands dirty in the details. This is the way to ensure quality without sacrificing the learning and development of the team which is so essential for long-term success. 

Now, keep those hands off until the team needs you.