How to Develop the People You Really Want
Leaders who neglect people seldom get what they really want.
Three essentials for skillful leaders:
- Produce useful results.
- Build relationships.
- Strengthen culture.
Successful leaders do all three at the same time – all the time.
The real product of leadership is people. How much time are you spending with people?
Purpose and goals:
Before spending time with people, identify purpose and goals.
The purpose of leading is serving. The goal of leadership development is producing servants. Servant leadership is first about character, second about skill.
Spend more time on character, less on skill.
5 Essential character qualities to develop in servant leaders:
- Persistence: Responding to difficulty with optimism.
- Boldness: Confidence to step forward when failure matters.
- Curiosity: Willingness to not know, but find out.
- Connectedness: Building relationships that energize and sustain.
- Humility: Eagerness to let the strengths of others shine.
Sample questions that work toward character development:
The first question is who are you now, the second is who do you want to be, the third is what do you want to do.
Persistence:
- What does persistence look like in this situation?
- What quality do you currently possess that can fuel persistence? How?
- How can you seek opportunity in this difficulty?
Humility:
- What does your desire for praise, recognition, and acknowledgement feel like?
- When do you feel most recognized?
- How can you give to others what you desire for yourself?
Time for people:
Leaders who build relationships and strengthen culture make time for people.
- Build systems that produce freedom. A system with you at the center prevents you from producing people-results. The more stuff you sign, the less real work you do. The more permissions you have to give, the more useless you become.
- Schedule people into your calendar every day. Make phone calls to touch base from 11:00 a.m. to 11:15, for example.
- Walkabout the office.
What essential qualities would you add to the list?
What questions work toward character development?
The Principal of my kids’ school does a good job of this. He walks around the school talking to parents and kids after school. They instituted a behavior management system where the ultimate prize is a pizza lunch with the principal and the kids love it. His availability to the parents means he can answer questions directly from parents and keep people better informed. I just thought that having that presence also helps to keep the kids and parents in line. Some of the worst bullying I’ve ever heard has been from the parents, not the kids. Being available to your team is important.
That isn’t a question but it’s getting late.
Thanks roweee. Wonderful story and illustration. It would certainly be easier for your principal to stay isolated. It takes courage to stay connected. Cheers
I love the idea of actually scheduling time to connect, either with phone calls or by walking around. I have WALK AROUND on my daily list, but that has not been successful at getting me out. An actual appointment might be what it takes.
Thanks Glen. Great application. Best wishes for the journey. Isn’t it funny how all the stuff we have to do keeps us from doing some important things? If I’m not careful, connecting with people slips down the list.
All the time!I thrive on rising to the commitment of my leaders!
Persistence and boldness are also needed by leaders to hold themselves and the team accountable. Lots of leaders talk a good game but they shrink when they need to step forward. Every team, every person (including the good ones), will test whether you mean what you say or not. If you don’t step forward in those moments, you’re done.
Teams won’t commit to you until they know with certainty you are committed to them.
Great post today, thanks again! I think you would enjoy “Redefining Leadership” by Joseph M. Stowell, I’ve been using it with a Wednesday Night Group I meet with, very challenging in terms of a results orientation vs. a character orientation..
Do you think some of these can even be developed in all people? I work with people and some of them show defensiveness when asked to do something new.
If I produce some meaningful result, I want them to join me in the next time, instead they continue to watch things from the sideline and criticize me when I challenge them to a greater goal.
Sometimes I get pretty confused about how can approach developing people in different way.
Great post, Dan. I like the qualities you have noted. I would add openness both to others and other ideas. I see that as important especially for open dialogue. The idea of asking thought provoking questions that the others need to ponder rather than giving the answers is important. A possible question might be what does success look like for this project/problem to you?
Some good points made, I always find getting people to set goals, picture them, right them down – give them something objective to aim for.
everyone wants to differentiate – maybe relationships are just that.
Introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf, Servant Leadership is a tool large corporations, such as Starbucks, trains their employees in. I’ve found leadership in this form to be most effective because it allows that leader to have gone through the experience he/she is training others on. What I would add to this post, which is excellently stated, would be attention to Open Communication. The best part of being a leader is being on the same page with those in understanding set expectations as well as adapting to the companies vision. Vision is the one thing that, when everyone is on the same page, makes a team unstoppable! This is a concept i share in my book.
http://www.terrencejwhite.com
Wow, this is a really great parenting post, Dan. And as I just spent too much time on the usual post-quarter grade report lecture, I’m re-thinking my message. Maybe I wouldn’t be having this same stupid lecture every time if I was focusing on these character traits instead of organization, note-taking, time management…(he needs all of these things, but still!). Hm.
I would add flexibility and self discipline and equanimity to the character traits list.
Flexibility is essential to effective leaders to change with the environment, sudden events within and without the organization, flexibility to change your own weaknesses into strengths.
Self Discipline is necessary to keep yourself honest with yourself about yourself. Life and work are though and a system of self checks and balances helps keep you on track and performing optimally.
Equanimity is perhaps a nuance of humility but to really engage all as equals is not something that can be forced and feigned; it is transparent in a moment. Honest respect for and validation of what each member brings to the organization helps a savvy leader put all of their best ideas to task.
Stay Connected! It is not necessary that we talk official all the time. People do have other concern or a problem. Share their concerns and show that you care! Result is dramatic.
Humility is an important thing we all must learn and embrace. A good leader knows when to give someone else the chance. I like how you put it Dan, “Humility: Eagerness to let the strengths of others shine.” It seems many of us don’t think of that in a great leader, but I agree with you. It is a critical characteristic!
Great post, Dan! Our faith-based work with kids in tough places is to walk with them to overcome their considerable adversities. Persistence is bred in such difficult environments. A colleague recently observed that we aren’t truly mentors to these teens until we’ve helped them get through a crisis. And when they are ready to lead, they’re world-changers!
Give a damn about those who you are responsible for.