The Gifts of Leadership: Equip Novices for Success and Stay Sane
Nothing is more important to the future than equipping new talent for success. It’s all about choice and approach.
Avoid pretenders:
What’s the response when you ask, “Do you want to grow yourself and develop your leadership?” We’re supposed to say, “Yes.” But not everyone means it.
Exercise caution and forethought when choosing where to spend your time and energy. They are treasures.
Minimize time and energy spent on unworthy novices.
You might be offended by the term “unworthy”. I don’t blame you. But some people aren’t worth your time.
Value yourself enough to choose where you focus your time and energy.
3 pretenders to avoid:
#1. Lazy novices want easy answers. But if answers were easy you wouldn’t need growth and development.
#2. Indulgent novices pretend they want suggestions, but really look for confirmation. They want agreement that the problem is someone else’s, not theirs.
#3. Self-centered novices seek sympathy, not something to do.
Self-centeredness feels offended by challenge.
Timing:
The closer a novice gets to facing real challenges, the wiser the voice of experience becomes.
Advice about running effective meetings is drivel to novices who aren’t preparing to run real meetings.
When a novice is preparing to run their first meeting – and the meeting is day after tomorrow – their mind is open and your suggestions are brilliant.
Need gives value to insight.
Talking:
Rush to listen. Let novices talk.
Novices need to hear themselves talking in order to evaluate what they’re think. Invite novices to describe – out loud – problems and solutions.
Stupid sounds smart inside your head.
When a man thinks about diversity, dumb ideas seem brilliant. But when a man talks to women about diversity, his thoughts and ideas don’t seem so smart.
A listening audience changes the way you think about your thoughts.
What approach is most effective in the growth and development of novices?
What approach is most effective in the growth and development of novices?
Have them observe and study what the best leaders do. Have them formulate questions related to their observations. Then–have a discussion.
You mean like TALK to them, Paul? (grin) — It seems that so much could be done morebetterfaster if someone simply understood that they are the managers actually accountable for EVERYTHING!
Everything changes when it stops being theoretical and becomes real. Sermons sound good in the pastor’s study, but when actually preached to a congregation of people – some sick, some tired, some wounded, some lazy, some engaged, the sermon changes.
We spend Big Money on Senior Leadership continuing education (aka golf junkets) but the people who actually manage the company and produce everything are those supervisors. SO many issues can be solved with some simple alignment and training and coaching.
Thanks, Dan, for another great blog. I think I am a perennial novice, so I appreciate the conversation from both sides. : )
“We’re supposed to say, “Yes.” But not everyone means it.” In no small part because it’s a loaded question. Saying “no” is career suicide!
What approach is most effective in the growth and development of novices? I’m with Paul “let them observe, study and listen to the best” (Everyone may have differnet views of the best). As we say often “lead by example”. There are complexities for some Pete mentions too, “the Sermon changes”, sometimes the audience expressions, changes the feel of the presentation and one may have to channel their presentation to compensate the intnet of the message.
There is nothing like failing and starting over from ground zero! (Truly life’s humbling experiences will build your character for the better)
“learn, study and listen to the best” honestly (as someone that is in the category that this post is about) this philosophy is something that really doesn’t work for me. Give your staff a small amount of time and energy e.g. let them ask you questions and talk things over with you and really listen. My current manager dismisses me before I’ve finished my sentence half the time, and she refers me to “the best” who don’t even take my calls. If you want new talent to work with “the best” you need to make sure “the best” will follow through because that’s something I’ve had difficulty with. Another thing to consider is that new talent are probably of a different era so they just by human nature are going to have different approaches to certain things then “the best” do, sometimes that approach won’t work but that’s where learning from failure as you mentioned comes in. Just thought I’d share a few thoughts from the other side of the view ☺
Excellence in a small space.
That’s a great piece,Dan.
Keep imparting Knowledge on leadership…..it always gives me good reflection.