Subsidiarity: 3 Ways to Let Go of Control as a Founder
Subsidiarity.
It’s one of those Catholic principles that you’ve probably heard about. But how do you practically apply subsidiarity to your company?
According to the Catechism, “The principle of subsidiarity is a teaching according to which a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need.” (#1919)
Let’s break this down a bit.
As a founder or an executive in a leadership position, the following tension is probably familiar to you: you know you need to focus on the big picture (strategy, fundraising, partnerships), but you still get caught in the weeds of daily operations. Some crucial need is always taking the hit.
Hiroki Takeuchi, CEO of GoCardless, has claimed that “The things you need to do to get your first 10 customers differ greatly from what it takes to get your 1,000th, 10,000th or millionth customer.”
Success is often correlated to how well you are able to adapt through growth. The truth is, the more you grow, your priorities must shift to adapt. So, how do you adapt to the growth that you’ve worked so hard for?
Cue subsidiarity. In business, subsidiarity means stepping back and allowing the trusted people you’ve hired to handle what you are not meant to focus on. Practicing subsidiarity will boost your team’s confidence and relieve the pressure you feel.
But where do you begin as a founder or executive who is unsure how to start this process? Read on. You also don’t have to be a founder or exec to gain insight here. Most of this advice is applicable to anyone who manages a team!
Assess your responsibilities
If you have at peace in your hiring decisions, but your time still isn’t focused on those high-impact tasks, then it’s probably time to give your team more ownership.
To get you started, here are 4 steps to empower your team to take ownership.
Identify what tasks are on your plate that are not high-impact. If you’re skeptical as to whether your team understands the vision, processes, and reasoning behind certain priorities, recognize this as an opportunity to communicate these things and empower your team through transparency and understanding.
Define your expectations. When you transfer ownership of a priority, be clear about your desired outcome. What do you want to accomplish? What are the specific deliverables? The more clear you are about the outcome, the better your team members will be able to produce quality results and learn what you expect in the future.
Schedule check-ins. Communicating progress will allow the new task owner to continue to understand your expectations and even offer their own feedback in return to improve processes even more.
Gradually increase independence. Give guidance initially, but eventually allow space for your team to problem-solve independently. The end goal is to decrease time spent on steps 2-3 because you are so confident in your team’s ability to execute what you delegate.
Delegating tasks requires trust and acceptance of your own finite capabilities. As a result, however, you will be able to focus your energy on the direction of your company. And your team will feel supported by you to take ownership of their work and continue to improve and grow your processes.
It’s a win-win.
Exert influence
When you let go of practices that impede your growth, it’s generally good to fill the void with a positive. When you attempt to release control, try to practice the art of influence instead.
Sometimes, the word “influence” gets a bad rap. It brings connotations of coercion or manipulation with it. In this case, influence simply implies creating distance in how you support your team, or supporting rather than interfering.
A few ways to exert influence:
Continually train your team on what you value as a company. These values will permeate their work and how they interact with others on the team.
Ensure that your team is documenting processes for reference. Creating manuals will allow team members to execute on their own and will enable them to bring you up to speed easily when necessary.
Model how you want your employees to communicate, execute, and take ownership. They will follow your example.
Rely on God
In the Bible, Job is the ultimate example of giving God control. Scripture doesn’t explicitly state how he gained his wealth and possessions, but he was very materially successful.
Even in the midst of losing everything, Job remained reliant on God.
“Agree with God, and be at peace, thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.” - Job 22:21-22
Learning to rely on God to provide will help you discern where you need to focus and where you need to empower your team.
St. Thérèse Couderc also understood the importance of surrender and reliance on God.
“The surrendered soul has found paradise on earth since she enjoys that sweet peace which is part of the happiness of the elect.” - St. Thérèse Couderc
Subsidiarity isn’t an abstract concept. It’s a principle you can practice and implement right now.
Not only will you gain more peace of mind, but your team will flourish and function on their own, producing results you might not have seen otherwise.
Closing Prayer
Lord, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything. Allow me to surrender control of my business to You more each day. Help me to rely more on my team and depend on them to successfully grow this venture. Teach me how to practice subsidiarity better.
