Throughout my career, I built my reputation by solving problems.
Like many leaders who come from technical backgrounds, I spent years developing expertise and finding answers, helping different teams overcome challenges. Being the person with the solution was how I created value.
When I became a manager, I assumed I was empowering my team because I delegated work. Looking back, I realize I was missing a critical piece of leadership.
I delegated tasks, but I didn’t always delegate ownership and outcomes.
I still felt responsible for reviewing every detail and guiding every decision, as well as providing the answers. When teammates brought recommendations to me, I often told them exactly what to do rather than helping them think through the problem themselves. Sometimes I stepped in and solved the issue personally because it was faster and more efficient.
My intentions were good. I wanted to support the team and deliver results.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was unintentionally creating dependency.
The turning point came when I recognized that empowerment is not about assigning work. It’s about giving people accountability, authority, and trust, while allowing them to own the outcomes.
As leaders, we often underestimate how much growth happens when people are given the opportunity to make decisions and solve problems, learning from both successes and mistakes.
I had to rethink how I measured my own success and how I put other people’s growth ahead of my ability to do their job.
Early in my career, success meant delivering results personally. As a leader, success means building a team capable of delivering results without me sitting in the middle of every decision.
That realization changed the way I lead.
Today, I focus far more on developing people than providing answers. I work to create opportunities for employees to take ownership of meaningful challenges and build the confidence that comes from solving problems independently.
I’ve learned to delegate outcomes, not just tasks. I focus on being clear on the goal and understanding the constraints, communicating the result we need, then giving people the space to determine how they will get there.
That’s where growth happens.
We’re putting this philosophy into practice across Robotics & Automation as we continue building organizational capability and developing future leaders. One example is our work to develop seven Discipline Hub Leads who represent the next generation of leadership within our R&D organization.
For me, leadership today is much less about having the right answer and much more about helping others discover the answers on their own.
One of the most important leadership lessons I’ve learned is that leadership is not about being the best problem-solver in the room. It’s about building a team of problem-solvers who can succeed without you.
My success is no longer measured by what I can personally accomplish. It’s measured by the strength of the team and the leaders I help develop.
That shift from subject matter expert to developer of people has been the most important pivot of my career. It is also one of the most rewarding.
By Chandra Ayalasomayajula, Vice President, R&D, Robotics and Automation