Chris McClure

I am convinced that we have a higher concentration of the brightest young professionals today than at any other time in history. I am also convinced that there is also a greater need to invest in them more than ever. The future of our world, nation, companies, organizations, and families depends on it!

While the internet age has allowed incredible access to knowledge, it has also created a disconnect between younger and older generations, which is where wisdom is often birthed. Knowledge WITHOUT mentorship creates a wisdom gap and often arrogance. Knowledge WITH mentorship brings a higher level of awareness of what you don’t know and how to best apply what you do know.

In past decades and in many other cultures around the world, older and more experienced men and women have been sought after for wisdom and seen as icons in their communities. We’ve lost that in our American culture and it is hurting us. In your organization, develop a plan to invest in your young leaders.

• Mentor them.
• Listen to them. They often have the ideas for your future success.
• Share with them your learnings from years of experience.
• Offer opportunities for them to try and fail without severe ramifications.
• Pay for them to have a professional coach that will walk alongside them in their development journey.
• Hire trainers who will help them develop “intangible” skills like how to win with people, how to connect with others most effectively, and how to develop a long-term personal growth plan.
• Set up consistent meetings to guide them through challenges and help them capitalize on opportunities.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day grind. It requires visionary leadership to invest in your young team members. Become intentional about creating the space to invest in them. You’ll be glad you did as they grow to be more seasoned employees.

Be Intentionally Great Today!

Correcting poor staff performance is never easy. Sitting across the table from an underperforming team member can be difficult. However, NOT having the hard conversation is worse in the long-run for your organization, team, and the staff member.

In “Good to Great”, Jim Collins uses the metaphor of getting the right people on the bus, getting them in the right seats, and getting the wrong people off the bus. This concept is crucial to the success of any organization or team. Having the wrong team member or having someone in the wrong role on the team can be devastating long-term. If you determine you have the wrong person on your team, take swift action to graciously let them go for your sake and theirs. It is a kind decision to release people to find a better fit somewhere else. If you determine you have the right person, but they need to improve I suggest the following steps:

• Set up a meeting and let the team member know you want to discuss their work performance.
• Put together a Performance Improvement Plan. Give the person a written document that lays out the current reality, the expectations you have for him/her, and the ramifications of not improving. Clarity is essential!
• During the meeting use phrases such as “My goal is…” and “My concern is…” Attack the problems, not the person. Let him/her know you want them to succeed and that you want to help them become the best they can be.
• Follow up after the meeting. Once the dust settles from the difficult conversation, check in with them to see how they are doing. Give them time to process what you’ve shared with them.
• Set up consistent check-in times for accountability and mentoring. I suggest weekly 15-minute stand-up meetings.
• Set up a meeting for an official progress review. I suggest 30 days to give them time to work on the plan and show improvement.
• If they are improving give them another 30 days to keep working and then meet again. Do this as many times as you see fit to reach the desired outcomes. Always celebrate progress!
• If they are not improving, inform them they have another 30 days to correct the issues or you will need to discuss further action that may result in demotion or termination.
• Document the process that you are going through with the team member. If the day comes that you need to fire them, you want to be able to show the steps you’ve taken to help them succeed and how they have not been successful in doing so.

Through this entire process check with your Human Resources department to make sure you are taking all the correct action steps for a legal process. You may need to adapt my recommendations based on your HR policies.

Following these steps can help you navigate this often challenging part of leadership and management. While this can be difficult you will be glad that you took action rather than let someone struggle which hurts both them and your team.

If you need assistance to navigate this process, please contact me. I would be more than happy to walk alongside you as a coach and advisor.

“Leaders know the way, go the way, and show the way.” – John C. Maxwell

Have you ever been lost and needed directions? Have you ever stopped at a gas station or store to ask for help? If you have, I’m sure you’ve experienced the difference between being told where to go and using a GPS unit that actually guides you along turn by turn.

Leaders should function more like a GPS unit than the worker at the gas station spouting off some generic directions. We should walk alongside our followers, guiding them to places where we’ve been before. Even when we are leading them somewhere we have never been, we need to step up and go first for the sake of the team.

Telling people what to do or where to go when we’ve never experienced it can be detrimental to everyone, but guiding people along can be impactful. As a leader, you must know the way first. Then you must go the way to experience it. Finally you must show the way by bringing others along with you.

Don’t expect faithful followers if you are sending them places you’ve never been before. Be like a tour guide rather than a travel agent. Tour guides are experts in the places they are leading people to experience. Travel agents are simply directing us to places they’ve often never been before.

As you examine your leadership, are you going first? If not, make the decision right now to become a guide to your followers. Show them where to go and what to do, don’t just tell them.

Be Intentionally Great Today!

“Most people accept their lives; they don’t lead them.” – John C. Maxwell

Does this sound like you? Are you simply accepting the circumstances in your life as if you can do nothing about them? Or are you living with intention each day?

Evaluate yourself with these questions:

• Do you take time each week to plan the upcoming week?
• Do you plan your work?
• Do you plan your family and social life?
• Do you guard your time and energy for things that matter most?
• Can you verbalize what truly matters most to you?
• Do you fill in your calendar or does someone else?

These questions can help you reflect on how intentional you are living. We all have the same amount of time each day to live. Some people waste theirs while others maximize the time they have. What is the difference maker? It’s intentionality!

Choose right now to be intentional each and every day. Clarify your values and make sure your calendar and checkbook are in alignment with them. Lead your life; don’t just accept it!

Be Intentionally Great Today!

Too often we focus on “what” and “how” in our daily lives and neglect the best starting point – “Why?”. Knowing your “why” is knowing your purpose. This could be as broad as your life purpose or it can be more specific as in the purpose of a project or a goal.

If you want to take strides in your effectiveness and success, start with “why”. Ask many “why” questions each day. Toddlers do this all of the time because they are curious. Even though it may become annoying to their parents, they are learning so much by asking “Why?”. We can learn a lot from this approach because curiosity leads us to dig deeper and find greater meaning in who we are and what we’re doing.

As you go about each day, search for deeper meaning. Don’t settle for the way things have always been done. Look for new ways of working, thinking, interacting, and leading.

If you want to continue to grow and stay motivated, start asking “Why?” more often. I’m confident that you will find that discovering greater purpose before taking action will increase your motivation to act and succeed.

Be Intentionally Great Today!

“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” – Ray Kroc

What do you expect out of your followers? Are you modeling these expectations in front of them daily?

John C. Maxwell’s “Law of the Picture” states that “people do what people see.” It’s easy for leaders to be frustrated with their followers’ performance, but it’s not as easy to look in the mirror and ask “How can I lead them to perform better?” Personal accountability as a leader is critical!

Your example will be what is lived out in your organization. If you do not like what you are seeing in your people, it’s time to look within yourself. Spend time reflecting on your personal development. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I growing or have I plateaued?
• Am I striving to be better each day or am I content to coast?
• What are key areas of improvement that I need to work on?
• How can I be a better model to my followers?
• What outcomes do I want to see in the performance of myself and my team?

Before you criticize your team, do a self-check. Before you confront and criticize them, look in the mirror. When you do a personal evaluation first, you can better serve your team when you approach them with how everyone needs to improve – including yourself. You can’t ask people to do what you aren’t willing to do. Another great quote from John C. Maxwell is “A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Can this be said of you?

Be Intentionally Great Today!

It has been said many times that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason – to listen twice as much as we speak.

In leadership, this is critical. Many people mistakenly believe that when you are in a leadership role that you have to prove yourself to be the expert by spouting off a ton of information. In reality, the best way to lead people is to listen to them. The higher you rise in leadership, the more intently you need to listen. Many times, the key leader is the last person to know what is going on because what’s happening at the grass roots level takes a long time to work it’s way up to him or her.

Consider the following:

• What are your followers feeling about the current reality of the team or organization?
• What are the greatest challenges or fears that your followers are dealing with?
• What do your followers know that you don’t know?
• Ask “How can I help you?” before you end any conversation with a colleague or follower.

In this day and age, listening is truly an art. I would go as far to say that it can be a significant difference maker in the success or failure of a leader. John Maxwell wrote a book called “Good Leaders Ask Great Questions.” In it, he explains why questions are important. He also shares questions he asks himself and his team members.

As you reflect on your leadership today, take some time to evaluate if you are a good listener or not. If you are, keep improving! If you aren’t, start today to ask more questions and hold your tongue. When you feel the urge to speak, hold it in and give space to the other person to speak.

Contrary to the saying that “what you don’t know won’t hurt you”, in leadership what you don’t know can derail you. Don’t be caught off-guard. Listen intently to your followers and watch your leadership grow as you make better informed decisions!

Be Intentionally Great Today!

“Leadership is about being a servant first.” – Allen West

“Servant Leadership” is a topic that has been written and talked about for many years now. My goal is not to beat a dead horse, but rather echo what many have already said.

If you want to become a great leader, determine in your heart and mind that people have value, then treat them accordingly. Help them. Encourage them. Coach them along. Make THEIR success your goal.

No one wants to follow someone that doesn’t care about their well-being. Everyone would love to work for someone who cares enough to make their best interest a priority.

As a leader, serve your people. Take the time to get to know them. Ask about their families, hopes, dreams, personal and professional goals. Get rid of the idea that you have to keep your personal and professional lives separate. It’s not possible! You are ONE whole person with many facets. Your followers are too.

Today, think about how you can add value by serving the people that you are privileged to lead. In order to serve them well, you need to get to know them well. Andy Stanley has brilliantly said, “Do for one what you can’t do for everyone.” What can you do for one person on your team today? Don’t worry about being “fair”. Customize your serving to individual needs. As you serve your people, watch your trust and respect levels grow.

Be Intentionally Great Today!

“Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” — Peter Drucker

No matter what job you have or what industry you’re in, you’re in the people business! You may be a store or department manager, customer service representative, business owner, or non-profit leader. You could work in a variety of other roles for that matter. The bottom line is that how you interact with the people around you will make or break your leadership potential and level of success.

Many people want to be more successful in life, but they don’t get along with people. Bob Burg says that people do business with those they know, like, and trust. Can that be said of you? Do your team members know, like and trust you? Do you customers or clients?

If you want to win in business (and life for that matter), you need to work on your people skills. One key way of doing this is to be curious about people. Ask questions more than talking about yourself. Stephen Covey said that we should “Seek first to understand, then be understood.” Is that how you interact with people?

Today, spend some time reflecting on how you engage the people around you. Do a 360 degree assessment of yourself using the following questions:

• How do I interact with those I report to?
• How do I interact with my peers?
• How do I interact with those that report to me?
• How do I interact with friends and family?

Take steps to improve your people skills and watch your influence and success level rise.

Be Intentionally Great Today!