7 Steps to Becoming a Leadership Hit Squad
Capable people, who walk in the shadows, represent wasted, untapped potential.
Leadership hit squads target the overlooked and under-utilized for greater more fulfilling involvement.
The target for leaders is developing leaders.
Targeting:
First, have “good” gossip sessions about under-utilized people who may be young, quiet, inexperienced, or stuck.
Good gossip sessions:
- Target those in transition. Think of someone who is newly married, in their 50’s, or who went through a traumatic experience in the past 18 months.
- Gossip about what they could be. Go with your gut.
- Rise above negative assumptions and judgments.
Second, engage with them casually. Go to them. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Listen for what makes them tick. Don’t ask for something.
Third, ask other leaders to engage with “the target” in casual ways. Take your time. Don’t overwhelm!
Fourth, have more “good” gossip sessions. Is the target rising up or pulling back?
Fifth, provide short-term opportunities. Say, “I was wondering if you’d like to be involved in our short-term community service project,” for example. Explore opportunities that align with their interests.
Sixth, stay engaged on a casual basis and monitor trajectory. Are they lighting up? If yes, explore aspirations. Ask:
- How can we get you doing more of what you love?
- What frustrates you about our company? If you had the power, how would you fix that?
- Which of your talents or skills are under-utilized?
Seventh, tell them they were targeted by the hit squad.
- Explain that you believe they have more in them.
- Tell them you are committed to them.
- Don’t pressure, ignite.
- Make it about them, not you.
- Explore next steps.
- Monitor their trajectory.
- Stay open to surprises and hiccups.
Elevating engagement requires your engagement.
How can leaders ignite and maximize under-utilized people?
Give credit were and when credit is due, praise them and or their team, financially reward them, share the wealth, educate them beyond the basics. I often tell myself “Be all you can be”! Did I do my best today? How can I do things better?
We are often our own worst enemy, fearful to let others lead, don’t be afraid to hand over the reigns. Nudge them on their own journey and never look back!
Thanks Tim. Love the exuberance of your comment.
We can’t underestimate the importance and power of education. People who feel competent are more likely to move forward than those who don’t.
I love it that you begin by noticing those who are in transition! Transitions can open up possibilities and energy in a person, even when the event that triggered the transition isn’t a happy one.
Thanks Rabbiadar. I believe people who go through destabalizing experiences are often more open to change in other areas. It’s a great opportunity for those interested in having positive impact. It’s cool that you noticed this idea.
Great post, Dan. And from personal experience, I can say that it works.
Thanks Steven. I can vouch from personal experience also.
Good morning Dan
This is one of the most refreshing, blogs I’ve read in awhile. “This is the TRUE Leaders most important responsability”. Identify potential, encourage particapation, help the individual to enhance their skills and talents, find the best job mix, & ‘plug em in’! THATS HOW YOU IDENTIFY OUR FUTURE LEADERS OF TOMORROW. “They don’t grow on trees”… In my 56 years on this earth I’ve seen quite a decline in identifying and cultivating leaders. I wonder if the feeling of entitlment keeps those in positions of authority from ‘sharing the wealth’?
Cheers Dan
Thanks SGT. You explained the elements of developing leaders with great clarity. I enjoy the inclusion of find the best job mix. Where do they fit in? Where do they find the most fulfillment?
I can think of a litany of reasons why leaders aren’t committed to developing new or young leaders: fear, insecurity, ignorance, selfishness, inability to trust people, arrogance, as well as entitlement.
Engagement. Active managing. Very nice This ties in beautifully with some thoughts recently on change managers. They too often think their only job is to help change happen when in fact a bigger role might be to help other become change agents.
Thanks Joe. I, along with others, use the term leader rather broadly. In my opinion, developing new leaders is essential to leadership. If you aren’t developing new leaders, you might be a manager, but you aren’t fulfilling a fundamental role of leadership.
Excellent article! We use different language, but the essence of what you wrote explains a basic function of a community organizer: to find and develop leadership within a community. Thank you for spreading the word!
Thanks Paul. Glad to see broader application of these ideas. Glad you jumped in.
Reposted for Erica:
Wow! Once again, this is right on point. “The target of leaders is to develop other leaders.” I wish more people operated in this philosophy. Great job!!!
Thanks Erica. Cheers
The timing of some of your posts continues to amaze me! I sat with one of my staff recently reviewing his performance eval and I said, “If you are still here, working for me, doing this same job in 5 years, I have failed terribly as a manager.” I see great potential in him and have tried to gently push him onward. I solicited the help of another director with a hot project and asked her to involve him part-time. It is working wonderfully. I can see a little more light in his eyes and a little more confidence in his walk. I will probably lose him, but my organization will not. His success will be mine.
Don’t pressure, ignite. Even as a mom I have always tried this method and I have to say, it has held, tried and trued, because I have some awesome children. It seems humans alway kick against the goad. We are so busy kicking we miss the message.
Great stuff Dan, thanks again.
Kymee
I’ve seen this happen before. Someone who was underutilized and not given much opportunity due to the perceived lack of leadership ability. A change in leadership catapulted her to the top and is now one of the key individuals in the department. Interesting how changing expectations can change the attitude and charisma of a person. Great post.
I can share from experience, that when you are in a transition or being promote to a higher position. I was strongly encouraged by my boss. The words of knowing that I was an important part of making the company a success and the skill that I had brought to the table was definitely what the company is looking for. Building great leader come with a great leader to train and promote the staff or ministry workers to be all that they could be and be excellent in everything that you do. Ask for help when needed and give need help to those who need it, share among each others, because at the end of the project and task that is given to the group will determine how well that you can work together as a team and not an individual. Always remember that on the job, it’s never about you; it’s about making the company, ministry successful. Getting the job done and done right.
Other than the obvious age discrimination in identifying who to target this was a good post. It is important to find someone in transition, but what is special about the fifties? is there a specific trait that is brought on by being a certain age? I would rather people look at real traits, or change points, when identifying who to target. Maybe something like this: “Someone who has had major change in their lives such as all the kids leaving the house, getting married, divorced or some other major event that has caused transition in their lifestyle”
I like the fact it focuses on leadership which can often be mistaken for management but are not always the same thing. Everyone needs to lead something but this focuses on expanding influence and reach which helps people grow.
Great post!
Absolutely agree! Awesome article.
There are a whole pool of underutilised staffs lying everywhere in companies if only they just get rid of their closed mind sets. I suggest that they start creating new ways of thinking out of the box. Every individual has the potential to excel. I have never met anyone who has no ability to succeed in life. What about making each staff become a leader for a day? You might meet one individual that blows you away! Give it a try!