Leadership doesn’t entail a person commanding a team. Instead, it means having the respect of the people around you. People will only consider you their leader and choose to follow you if they believe you have the skills and abilities that make you the most competent. 

So it would seem counter-intuitive to allow others to "take the lead" in any circumstance... yet the most competent and secure managers understand how they don’t need to go first and will take on a supporting role if there is someone on the team who is more capable. 

However, to be clear, if you feel more capable of performing a certain task, continue doing so. Allowing others the opportunity to lead is not worth putting the team’s performance at stake to push others into the role.

As a leader, you must have a level of competence that your people respect. And it is equally important to recognize the competence of others.

Respect and Trust: How are they Connected? 

Managers who show respect for their subordinates’ ideas can find it easy to establish trust. Respecting different people’s ideas and values will help you connect with others. Ideally, they won’t hesitate to express their opinions. 

Being open to allowing others from the team to take the lead is a great way to establish trust. For instance, the study by Harvard Business Review shows managers who have the trust of the people working on their team will have the following: 

• 76% more engagement
• 74% less stress
• 50% higher productivity
• 40% less burnout 
• 29% more satisfaction with their lives
• 13% fewer sick days
• 106% more energy (I always love the >100% stats...)

All these factors are important for managers and businesses today as each can have a real impact on the business’s profitability. 

When Should Managers Take on Supporting Roles and Let Others Lead? 

Managers might come across someone brilliant with a vision who can lead the team through a situation or to a better solution. That is where they should sit back and let the other qualified individual handle things. 

It can be a great experience for managers to provide mentoring and guidance to the individual now in the lead. Other times when managers would be better off taking a supporting role are: 

• Exhaustion and uninterested in managing the team’s day-to-day activities
• The team isn’t responding to your leadership style 
• Delegating has become more like micro-managing 

These can be a few instances where managers can take a step back and let someone else assume the leadership role if they have skills and abilities.

Becoming a Leader: When Should You Take the Opportunity?

An important thing to remember is that leadership is always a choice. It isn’t something that comes with power, status, command, or force. these methods will not help you develop a trusting relationship with others. Consequently, a leader without the support and trust of their team won’t succeed (long-term). 

So, if there is a choice of more qualified candidates, let them have the lead.

But if there isn’t anyone more competent, or your skills and qualifications are better than others, you must go first. 

Wrapping Up 

A leader is not always the person in the front. They may be behind the scenes helping and guiding team members toward achieving the goals. A manager doesn’t always have to be in the lead and go first if there is more qualified and talented than them. But it is always the leader's responsibility to take the lead if there isn’t anyone more qualified to assume the leadership role.