***This article is inspired by chapter 6 of John C. Maxwell’s book
“Developing the Leaders Around You” – “The Leader’s Lifelong Commitment: Developing Potential Leaders” ***
In the previous article, we looked at the 3 keys of modeling, mentoring, and empowering to effectively equip potential leaders. Today we’re going to look at John Maxwell’s 10 critical actions that leaders do who are good developers of people.
Consider the following:
1 – Discover the potential leader’s motivations and harness them.
Motives matter and knowing how to motivate others is a key aspect of leadership. Some people are motivated by finances. Others by prestige and notoriety. Still, others are passionate about making an impact. Motivations vary. If you want to draw the best out of your followers, discover their motivations and then use those them to help them advance and grow.
2 – Be a good listener.
Listening seems to be a lost art among most people in our world today. It’s not simply about hearing the words coming from someone’s mouth, but rather listening deeply to what is truly being said through tone, body language. It even includes what isn’t being said aloud. As you focus on listening, you can learn ways to motivate, strengths to build upon, and weaknesses to address.
3 – Develop a plan for personal growth.
Many organizations wait until an employee is underperforming and then put them on a performance improvement plan. Great leaders are proactive and help their followers develop a personal growth plan which helps them intentionally develop into their roles and responsibilities. As a leader, help them develop a solid plan as they may not know what they need to focus on.
4 – Promote ongoing growth.
While this may at first seem repetitive of #3, it’s actually not. A personal growth plan may have an expiration date or a specific timeline. However, personal growth should never end. For your followers to truly reach their potential, they must make personal growth an ongoing focus. Guide them to read books, listen to podcasts, go to conferences, attend workshops, take courses, etc. Point them towards whatever will help them continue on their success journey.
5 – Give them varied experiences.
Potential leaders, who will someday oversee departments and entire organizations, must develop a well-rounded perspective. This happens best through a variety of hands-on experiences. Give them relevant opportunities based on their desired career path, as well as, your vision for how they can best serve your organization.
6 – Strive for excellence.
Excellence is not about perfection, but it is about doing the best with what you have. Be intentional with the time and attention you give your followers. Consider how their development and success can be a reflection of your own success long-term. Help them become the best they can be by giving them your best effort.
7 – Reward positive growth.
Pastor and leadership expert Andy Stanley once said, “What gets rewarded gets repeated.” When you catch your potential leaders doing well, reward them. Give them private and public recognition as appropriate. Help them achieve small and large victories, then reward them along the way. This will build their confidence and morale. It will also enhance their trust in you.
8 – Care enough to confront.
While very few people like to deal with confrontation, it simply comes as a responsibility of leadership. However, HOW you confront truly matters. When you approach them from a place of caring versus condemnation, constructive criticism is heard much better. If you are going to be a great developer of people, you need to start with the heart. John Maxwell’s Law of Connection states, “Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.” The hard truth is that if you don’t care about people, you shouldn’t be in a leadership role. Managers can focus on systems and processes. Leaders must focus on people and their development.
9 – Make the hard decisions.
Many people want to be in leadership roles for the perks and benefits, but leaders quickly realize that many hard decisions must be made. Whether you must have hard conversations, fire someone for continued poor performance, or even hire for an important role, making hard decisions comes with the territory. When it comes to developing your potential leaders, commit to being courageous and making the hard decisions that are best for your followers and the organization.
10 – Be personally secure.
It’s natural for leaders to want to be liked. However, leaders can’t draw their security based on how others feel about them. If you do, you won’t last long. As stated above, leaders have to confront and make hard decisions. This often results in becoming unpopular at times. Consider your own successes when you feel beat down. Focus on your own personal growth and what is best for the organization as you navigate the difficult aspects of leadership. Also, don’t worry about your potential leaders replacing you. If you do your job well to equip and develop people, you become more valuable.
Developing potential leaders takes significant time and energy. However, there is a great reward for seeing those whom you’ve developed succeed. As mentioned previously, their successes can be your success when you help them grow, mature, and advance in their careers. Commit to giving them what they need by taking these 10 key actions.
Until next time…make today GREAT!
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