While President of Robelle I often gave people tasks that challenged them to raise their own performance and leadership. Kerry Lathwell, who reported to me for ten years, shared with me after our time together that time and time again I asked her to do things that she knew inside herself that she could not do. And every time she was able to do it.
How do you help people in your organization blossom and raise their own and others potential:
- Have belief. There was never, ever a time that I asked Kerry to do something that I didn’t believe that she was not capable of.
- Make sure one person is accountable. In team efforts, there still needs to be one person that is accountable for the team. Even if that person does not have control of all individuals and resources on the team that are needed for the task.
- Set measurable goals. We want more customers isn’t a goal. We want ten new customers by June 30, 2011 is a goal.
- Let people fail safely. You might not want to risk the entire future of the business to a junior employee with great potential. You do want to give that person a task that challenges them and that should they fail, the organization can still recover from.
- Celebrate your failures, along with your wins.
What can you do today to let one of your budding leaders blossom?
