STEP AWAY

STEP AWAY

An advice to those in leadership positions.

The call came late on a Wednesday afternoon, a time I knew to be a sign of trouble. My years of working with her—let's call her Diane—had been a journey of proactive actions, not of reactive problem-solving. She was a CEO who had risen from a humble advisor to the head of a major financial firm in Shanghai, a woman defined by her vigilance. So, when her voice on the phone was laced with desperation, I felt the chill of what was to come.

"I have a problem!" she said. In the twelve years we'd worked together, she had never uttered those words. The weight of her company's imminent collapse seemed to press down on the phone line. I got in my car and sped to her office.

When I arrived, she proposed we leave. "I need some real tea," she said, her voice a strained whisper. We went to a serene teahouse, a sanctuary as compared to her imposing building, and the immense burden it represented. In that quiet space, she finally spoke.

"We were ready for the IPO. Every single item on the NYSE checklist was far beyond the minimum. We worked so hard for this, but someone… someone just messed up."

The words hung in the air. This was a company on the verge of its greatest success, a moment of triumph for over 200 employees across three global locations. And yet, due to a single, devastating error—someone pushing the wrong button—chaos had descended. Lawsuits loomed, and the firm was teetering on the brink.

"I have to solve this in less than 24 hours," she said, her eyes fixed on me.

"You?" I asked.

Her response was unwavering. "Yes, me."

I leaned forward, my voice low and firm. "Want my advice? Step away."

The words hung in the silence. I continued, "You are not a problem-solver in this moment. Your job is to facilitate advice and resources so that the qualified people you hired can do theirs. Your energy is needed to observe, to listen, and to act swiftly where it matters most."

"Take a plane to Hong Kong now. Meet your team. Ask them what they propose to do. Listen. They are the reason this company reached such a successful moment. This can be fixed, but not by you alone. You need your team, and you need to listen. Only then can you truly understand what happened, decide on a course of action, and provide the resources needed."

The next morning, my phone rang. Her voice was calm, confident, and back to its usual self. "Problem solved," she said. "Join us for dinner tonight."

Key Takeaways

A leader’s most powerful function isn't in solving every problem directly, but in empowering their team to find the solutions.

• Observe and Listen: Your job as a leader is to step back from the chaos and understand what's happening. The person closest to the problem is often the person with the best solution.

• Facilitate, Don't Control: You are a facilitator of resources and advice, not the sole executor. Trust the expertise of the people you hired; that's why they're there.

• Empowerment Over Micromanagement: A true leader builds a team capable of handling a crisis, and then gives them the space to do so. Your greatest strength is in unlocking the potential of others, and keep your eyes open to subtle cues of potential problems.

• Teach your people your most important soft skills: Your team should not work for you; they work with you. When this dynamic is true, your team members will also want to learn from you. By allowing them that opportunity, your problems (and there will be problems) will be solved swiftly and with the least amount of organizational disruption.

Remember that leadership is not about having all the answers but about empowering your team to find them. The wisdom shared in times of chaos is a powerful investment, because the capable people you mentor today may one day be the colleagues you rely on to face a new challenge together.