Money Talks is a collection of daily columns from The Business Network, which airs weekday mornings on CBC Radio One at 5:45 a.m. ET (6:15 a.m. ET in N.L.).

By David Colman, a partner with TriOpus Group in Regina
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I bruise easily, and when it comes to leadership, self-discovery has provided me with my most valuable bruises. Whenever I talk to groups about the nuances of leadership or how to become an effective leader, I emphasize that my failures are the things that I learned from the most. What we discover for ourselves, as opposed to what we are merely told, makes the biggest impression on us.

I have learned to consider these bruises the growing pains of my personal development. What have you learned through trial and error? How are you helping to assist others in their own self-discovery?

When asked what I have learned to be the most significant issues affecting leaders and leadership, there are five that stand out above all others:

1) Be Trustworthy

2) Coach Everyday

3) Diversify Your Team

4) Involve Everyone for Success

5) Keep People Accountable

It’s true that leadership is an evolution. Today’s leader is not the same as yesterday’s. The leader 10 years from now will likely be much different from you and me. Failure to be confident with the five issues that face today’s leader will impair any of us, no matter how long we have been responsible for the success of a team. Growing into tomorrow’s leader will require travelling down the path of evolution, beginning with these five issues. Today, I’d like to talk to you about Keeping Your People Accountable.

"My people keep coming to me for all the answers to their issues." I hear this all the time from exhausted leaders who keep solving everything for everyone. No wonder they are tired. They can't get out of the mindset that they must have all the answers. Break this habit and break it now.

Your people are not going to grow if you allow them to come to you for all the solutions. Make them accountable starting today. Yes, your door should be open. But it should not be open for people to rely on you for your expertise all the time. When they come to you with problems, insist that they come with alternatives and solutions as well. It's up to you.

And, by the way, if you lack the skills, seek out programs that will give you what you need. Put the skills into practice every day, not only in the workplace but in your personal life as well.

Lastly, get ready for the bruises.

-- David Colman