Empowering your team to thrive independently

Each day in credit management brings new challenges, and for managers this might mean a lot of questions from members of your credit team. While it’s natural for your team to rely on you, there is a lot of value in encouraging them to navigate tricky situations on their own.  

Yes, but: Cultivating a team of independent thinkers means finding a balance between supporting them and encouraging them to work out problems without help. When team members feel supported and trusted, they’re able to conquer complicated credit dilemmas on their own and grow as a result. 

Building a strong team starts with how you lead through each assigned task. “I try to give people context and guardrails rather than just instructions,” said Jen Martin, director of credit at Carter-Jones Companies (Kent, OH). “If I tell someone exactly what to do every time, I may get the result I want today, but I haven’t developed a stronger employee for tomorrow.  I want my team to understand the strategy and the ‘why,’ the risks we’re managing and where they have authority to make decisions. Then I expect them to use their judgment.” 

As the manager, you might find yourself answering questions from your team often. It can range from simple clarifications to requests for detailed guidance. In the moment, it might feel easiest to answer all the questions that come your way, but it can develop a long-term dependence that hinders independent decision making. 

“Answering every question feels productive—you solve the problem, and everyone moves on—but eventually you’ve trained a team to bring every difficult decision to you,” said Martin. “I try to avoid immediately answering in favor of asking ‘What do you think we should do?’ or ‘If I weren’t here, what decision would you make?’ Then we talk through their thought process and challenge their reasoning.” 

Credit management is a field where each problem doesn’t have one concise correct answer, so letting your team solve matters on their own might reveal new ways of assessing and addressing risk. “The harder part for me is accepting that their answer doesn’t have to be my answer and I love to debate—so I regularly remind myself there can be more than one good approach,” Martin said. “Sometimes I need to get my own ego out of the way. If the only acceptable answer is the manager’s answer, people eventually stop trusting their own judgment.” 

Motivating independent thinkers on your team means respecting their choices, even when they differ from your own. “I don’t micromanage my team or second-guess their decisions,” said Lisa Moran, corporate credit and collections manager at Crescent Electric Supply Company (Bloomington, IL). “And if they bring something to me, my first question is always, ‘What do you think we should do here?’ It’s important to empower them because if they feel trusted, they stop asking for permission and they start taking ownership.” 

Fostering a sense of trust with your team goes hand in hand with empowering them. “Develop a kind of trust with your team where they don’t feel like they’re going to get in trouble if they come to you with a problem,” said Moran. “You’re teaching them how to arrive at the right answers, so there are going to be wrong answers along the way.” 

Remember that you can still support your team while encouraging them to work independently. “It can be hard to know when you do need to step in and help,” said Moran. “That’s why it is important to have regular check-ins with your team and assess what challenges they are facing and seeing if they may need more support.”  

The bottom line: Leading intentionally means arming your team with the tools they need to succeed and offering them support without being overbearing. While it may be challenging at first, working through tasks independently can help team members learn and grow into credit professionals.

“Don’t measure your value as a manager by how many decisions require you,” said Martin. “Being needed can feel like leadership. You know the work, you know the answers and it’s often faster to solve the problem yourself. But you might have to set your ego aside and let other people shine. Your value is increasingly measured by your ability to build people who can make good decisions when you aren’t in the room.”