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• Low risk tolerance.
• Impatient.

Culture card

As organizations become increasingly global, it’s important to understand that how leaders direct work
varies significantly in different parts of the world. In their research on the leadership styles of different
countries, Bersin by Deloitte found that in India, leaders place emphasis on execution, operational
effectiveness, and careful planning. In Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the style is more
visionary and transformational, executed through innovation and persuasive communication. Where you
are responsible for directing the work of people in other cultures, you need to adjust your approach to get
the best results. A highly results-focused leader in the United States may frustrate colleagues in China
who prefer to build relationships before committing to the task and who are accustomed to a more
unstructured and flexible approach. One size definitely does not fit all. 19, 20

Tips to develop Directs work
1. Uncomfortable directing others? Give yourself permission. Do you feel guilty telling others what
to do? Worry about giving people work? Don’t want to be thought of as pushy? Being a leader
requires you to exercise authority and provide direction. When you do it well, people respect you for
it. Give yourself permission to be directive, to assert appropriate authority, and to delegate
assignments. Know that without directing work, you will make life harder for the team—leaving them
to guess what it is you want from them. Remind yourself of the positive outcomes you’ll cause. You’re
developing them, empowering them, putting them on the right path, setting them up for success. Still
have concerns? Directing others isn’t for everyone. Examine whether this path is the right one for
you. Maybe you’d be more suited to a role that allows you to be an individual contributor.

2. Prefer to do things yourself? Trust other people. Most people prefer to depend on themselves to
get things done. Especially the important things. You trust your own expertise. You got to where you
are because you’re good at what you do—right? It’s scary to think about letting someone else take
over. What if they don’t do it right? What if the outcome isn’t up to your standard? A belief that others
can’t be trusted to deliver only leads to your hanging on to the work. You’re training them to be
dependent on you. They’ll take less initiative, feel less motivated, and stop putting in extra effort.
You’ll continue to be unimpressed with their results, confirming your belief that you need to do it
yourself. It becomes a self-reinforcing cycle. Worse, you’ll end up with less time to do what you need
to do and they’ll have less opportunity to develop. Challenge the beliefs that get in the way of trusting
others. Think they’re not qualified or motivated to do a great job? Ask them; find out. Don’t assume
this is the case. Remember, they might also be where they are because they’re good at what they do.

3. Holding on to too much? Delegate. As jobs get bigger, the requirements for success change. You
can’t do everything yourself. You need to let go. Successful delegation is a win all round. It frees up
your time, allowing you to direct attention toward bigger, more important issues, while enabling others
to grow. Unsure what to delegate? A simple and effective way of deciding is to ask people, “What do I
do that you could help me with? What do I do that you could do with a little help from me? What do I
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