LEADERS, ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET?
What is it that has some leaders be so effective and the majority of people in leadership have to work so hard at it? I am not saying that the effective ones don’t have problems to deal with; that’s just life. They are just those “naturals” that have a make-up that has people around them want to play “their game”.
The problem is that no organization of any size has enough “naturals” to cover the needs. If this is so, what do we do? We train them. People can be trained. The problem may be in how they are trained.
Historically, the person in-charge (Coach, CEO, Owner, Manager, Supervisor, etc.) has expected their people to adapt to them. Because they are the “Boss”, everyone should just “do as I say, because I say so”. Any of you ever hear “because I say so” come out of your parent’s mouth?
The “Boss” may have the authority to sit someone on the bench, reprimand them or even fire them. The threat of that may get people moving. However, you will not get all of their skill, talent and ability. The “Boss” may get more short-term results but diminishing performance over the long-haul.
So, how do you become a great leader? First, you will want to initiate actions from an effective contextual perspective. So what would that be? Consider that instead of “do as I say” or “my way or the highway” that you shift to a commitment to each person’s growth and development. You are also not running a Democracy. Find out what they think and use all the information you have to choose your direction.
The capacity of the team and each member of the team is what will deliver the intended results. If they are learning as individuals they will have a greater capacity to grow as a team.
You may be thinking, “how do I do that?” Let’s say you have eight people who report to you and those eight are going to coach/manage/train the rest of the team. Here’s how I would have you begin:
-Find out everything you can about each one (parents, sibs, hometown, work
experience, etc.)
-Find out why they are on our team and where they want to be in five years (or
whatever future number of years works)
-Commit to supporting their effort in achieving that
-Share your vision for the future (organization, project life)
-Tell them what you need from them and get their commitment to deliver
-Hold them accountable for delivering on what they said
-Leave the conversation with an action to take and by when they are going to take it
-Hold them accountable
To do all this you will need to be armed with good questions. The more you are the listener the more effective you will be. I have never learned anything when I was speaking.
Relationship is the key to everything. Nothing builds relationship like showing interest in the other person. That’s the whole person. People bring work home and home to work. Every time you support them they are better able to climb the next hill.
If you want more on this topic go to lulu.com and find these two books I have published there. Microwave Leadership and The Art of Losing will deepen what has already been discussed.
I couldn’t agree more. In today’s society we have been conditioned to think of ourselves first. This is only magnified in sports. I read your article and it reminded me of a Pat Riley quote, “Great teamwork is the only way to find our ultimate moments in life.” When I remembered the quote I thought is was “moments in sports,” it is even more appropriate when he says life.
Coach I am looking forward to Santa Cruz. I have been playing the relationship game with my team since being challenged by Carl, and it has completely changed my team and my coaching philosophy. Thank you.