Are You Giving Your People Opportunity?
You are only as good as the people you are surrounded by…that is a fact!
Leaders can’t do very much on their own. There are no Rambos in real-life leadership. We are simply better together and a leader is only as good as the people they develop around them.
The structural integrity at each individual level of a skyscraper is dependent on the levels below. If all other 28 stories are not solid, they will crumble and collapse before you can reach the 29th floor. Leadership operates within the same principles of building projects. The team underneath you will determine how high you can actually go. This is why it is vital that you develop your team and raise them up to the highest level possible. You can’t leave them alone wandering through their tasks, projects, goals, and vision. You have to give them a clear plan of action and accountability to get better and better. You only scale up when the team is able to take you higher. You may be ready, willing, and able to go higher as the leader, but the question is…is your team able to?
The only way you know if your team is able to go to the next level is to give them an opportunity to go there. Don’t make quick judgments on the front end without giving people a chance to prove themselves. I see too many leaders back off from giving people an opportunity because they have already resolved the other person can’t do it. Here’s the deal…you may be right…maybe they can’t do it…but you have to give them an opportunity to level up. I have seen many people leave organizations because someone didn’t believe in them and give them an opportunity just to see them thrive in another organization that did believe in them and gives them an opportunity. Will everyone fit and be able to do what you need them to do? NO! But you have to give the opportunity to be proven wrong.
Here’s what I have observed throughout 20+ years living and teaching leadership:
- Great leaders are willing and committed to give people a chance.
- Average leaders assume they already know the outcome and therefore halfheartedly give minimal opportunities.
- Bad leaders don’t give any opportunity and just keep cycling through people until they get lucky.
Here are some quick thoughts about giving people an opportunity to level up:
1) Give Opportunity With Expectations
Do not give opportunity without clear, clear, clear expectations of what you want to see. Be incredibly specific about the vision and direction of the opportunity. Set the bar HIGH! Did you get that? I said…SET THE BAR HIGH. I would rather you oversell the expectations than undersell them. Don’t sugarcoat or back off of what you want to see, even if someone is new or inexperienced. Give them something to stretch into. Don’t make it easy. The famous German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he could be and he will become what he should be.” Give people an expectation to live up to.
2) Give Opportunity With Accountability
There is no alignment without accountability; no one can fully maximize their potential without it. Accountability is about giving honest feedback with expectations. Never expect someone to be successful with an opportunity unless you provide real accountability. If someone is not fulfilling their expectation you as the leader have to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you’re giving them what they need to be successful. Opportunity has to come with bold feedback. Tell them upfront that you as the leader are going to be 100% honest and open with them on how they are doing in real-time. Set the expectation that you are going to do everything you can to help them develop by providing encouragement when they are doing things right and correction when things are not being done right.
3) Give Opportunity With Patience
People need time to develop. Even with expectations and accountability, you need to be patient with people. This is a hard line to tow because you don’t want to prolong the agony if someone can’t perform, but you also want to be careful not to write them off too fast without some grace. There is no formula to determine the line of patience and speed, but when it comes to people you have to error on the side of patience. This is hard for leaders who are driven and fast-paced. They too often make snap judgments without giving some time for people to get their bearings with the opportunity. Read this article I wrote before you start to give people an opportunity…”Don’t Delegate Until You Realize This“.
Here’s your marching orders: Be patient with people while holding them accountable with clear expectations.
