4 Ways To A Better Team
George S. Patton said, “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”
Telling people how to do things is not leadership; developing them on what to do is. You see, a great leader spends more time on the person than the procedures. If you can develop the person to be a self-learner, self-thinker, and self-motivator the rest will begin to fall in line.
I see many organizations get this wrong from the start. When I look at onboarding procedures for most companies it’s all about the tactical and practical applications of job duties. Fill this form out, here’s how to conduct this process, this is how we do it here type stuff. Rarely do I see onboarding people in the mindset and expectations of growing as a leader. Never do I see training for the person to develop themselves for the long-haul. But the organizations that do…are the ones who are winning big time. The longevity of team members is outstanding when an organization invests in coaching and people development. Not only do they retain employees, but they also extract more potential from them. An internal report of the Personnel Management Association showed that when training is combined with coaching, individuals increase their productivity by an average of 86% compared to 22% with training alone.
What is your companies development framework? How are you training your team to get better? Here are some thoughts…
1. Take Time To Grow
To increase someone’s ability, you must intentionally develop them. The most successful companies don’t just hire people; they develop people. Make sure your team is allotted enough time to grow into their leadership abilities.
Let me give some real-life examples of intentional team growth. Several prominent organizations that I’ve had the opportunity to work with challenged their staff to read the same leadership development book together each month. They used the book as their topic of discussion during their weekly staff meetings to continually improve their skills and implement better techniques. One organization I’ve worked with gives financial rewards to employees for every leadership book read and reported on. In an effort to foster personal growth, they also rewarded team members who attended leadership conferences. Another organization I know gives professional development credits for any extracurricular programs their employees accomplish, knowing these programs expand skills within the company. The more credits received, the more incentives there are to cash in on. These incentives come in the form of extra vacation time, special bonuses, an assortment of gifts, and so on.
2. Invest In Growth
You have to see developing your people as a pivotal investment. Growing up around the farmlands of southern Indiana, I know the only way to reap a great harvest in the fall is to devote time for planting in the spring. Invest the seeds of opportunity in your team today, and you will reap great dividends in the future. When you invest in your people, you directly invest into the quality of your organization. As a leader, it’s imperative that you provide financial allotments for your team’s growth. An organization that does not have a budget for development is an organization that will eventually not have a budget to sustain itself.
The more you invest in their growth, the more compounded interest you will gain from the investment. Showing your team that you care about their development communicates that you value them. When a team member feels they are worth the investment, they tend to live up to that investment.
3. Model Growth
Your team won’t grow if you are not growing. You can’t expect what you don’t do. If you want your team to be the best you had better be challenging yourself to be the best as well. My mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell, instilled in this idea into me…People do what people see! When you, as the leader, talk about the things you are learning it gives others an example. When you, as the leader, visibly have resources you are learning from, it gives others an example. When you, as the leader, reference quotes, stories, statistics, and illustrations, it gives others an example. Never underestimate the power of example. Oliver Goldsmith said, “People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy.”
4. Never Stop Growing
I like how Coach John Wooden put it when he said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” Only when we admit that we don’t know it all can we open the door to unlimited possibilities. At age 94, Pablo Casals was considered one of the greatest cellists of all time. After one of his last concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., he was asked why he still practiced over three hours a day. He responded, “I think I am making progress.” He also stated, “To retire is the beginning of death.” Always push your team to stay in a growth mindset. Challenge them to get better and better and to never settle for where they currently are.
If you are interested in developing your team’s leadership abilities schedule a call with me to get started. Or if you are interested in developing yourself personally reach out to me so you can maximize your potential. I would love the opportunity to help coach you to the next level.
