Mark Calitri on Winning Leadership: Ask Your Team What They Need

 

Ask Your Team What They Need

I have been watching a leader in a high position of authority, and here is what I noticed.

Some leaders never ask the most important question.

“What can I do to help you be successful?”

That question tells people something. It tells them you are not just there to give orders. You are there to help remove roadblocks.

But some leaders avoid that question.

Why?

Because they may not want the answer.

If you ask your team what they need, they might actually tell you. They might tell you where the process is broken. They might tell you they need support. They might tell you a department is short-handed. They might tell you something that requires you to act.

That is where leadership gets real.

A weak leader avoids the question because the answer might create work.

A strong leader asks anyway.

Winning Leadership is not just standing at the top and expecting everyone else to figure it out. It is asking, listening, and then doing something useful with what you hear.

Ask your team:

“What do you need from me?”  

“What roadblocks can I remove?”  

“What is slowing you down?”  

“How can I help you win?”

Those questions build trust.

Now, you cannot fix everything. No leader can. But you can listen. You can follow up. You can explain what can be done and what cannot. You can show people they are not carrying the load alone.

If you cannot identify how you are helping your team, then you need to ask yourself a hard question.

What good are you doing as a leader?

Leadership is not about being important.

It is about helping people do important work.

And if you never ask what your people need, do not pretend you are surprised when they stop looking to you for help.

Mark Calitri serves as President & CEO of Visit Owensboro. Under his leadership, Owensboro has expanded sports tourism, convention business, destination marketing initiatives, stakeholder partnerships, and visitor-driven economic impact throughout the region. Mark Calitri is also co-author of The Winning Leadership Playbook™ and a frequent speaker on leadership, tourism, economic development, and organizational growth.