Buried in the sports pages of the October 20th USA Today, behind stories of the National Basketball Association's lockout, Mike Tyson's return to the ring and an interesting look at how many professional football players have been in trouble with the law, was a fairly well-hidden story about Bill Parcells, the coach of the New York Jets. The story appeared in the paper the morning after the Jets beat the New England Patriots 24-14 in a surprise upset. While regular Monday Night Football viewers undoubtedly recall this win well, few may be aware of what actually took place during the Jets' practice the Friday before the game.

That Friday, in response to the team's less-than-impressive performance, Parcells took a drastic measure-he took his staff and walked off the field, leaving the players to continue practice on their own. The article quotes left tackle Jumbo Elliott recounting the incident, "I remember we ran a pass play and the quarterback missed the receiver by quite a bit. I heard him say, 'That's it! That's it! Coaches over here!'"

And the coaches left. What was the players' response?

According to the article, Kyle Brady, who had two touchdown catches in that victorious Monday night game, said, "When he left, we all looked around like 'What now?' It was a rallying point. We said, 'Enough is enough. Let's get this thing going. We've put too much work in.'"

Running back Curtis Martin concurred, "It was a big wake-up call. When a coach does that it makes the team jell together."

You see, sometimes a good coach needs to know when to step away from his or her team and let them rely on their own abilities to achieve the needed results.

In this column, I have espoused the virtues of training, shared the importance of giving your employees the tools they need to do their jobs and listed countless techniques to help prepare your employees to better handle the challenges thrown their way. However, one strategy I have never suggested is that of walking away. While it may seem like one of the most difficult things for a manager to do, at times it can be very effective.

When problems strike, a team's first reaction may be to turn to their coach (or manager as may be the case) for solutions. It's an understandably natural response as many good managers are often quick to step into that role. However, as a manager who has recruited highly qualified individuals, trained them well and given them the tools they need to do their jobs, it may be that the best "help" you can now offer is the space to allow them to discover their own abilities, realize their potential and truly use what you have given them. Empowering employees to find their own solutions may be the single most important step you can take to building confidence and creating a stronger, more effective team.

In the New York Jets' case, a more effective team led to a big win in Monday night football. For you, it may mean a win with a customer. But regardless of the victories, when Parcells walked off the field on that fateful Friday, the USA Today article stated that his team's "esteem for him grew a little greater."

What more could a coach ask for?