Leadership carries a plethora of responsibilities, not the least of which is cultivating a powerful, effective and evolving team. As leaders we wear many hats and when the going gets tough, it’s easy to grab the hat that says: “Get it done! That’s why I hired you!!” When what is more often needed is the hat of a coach.
This one powerful secret to leadership lies in the ability to cultivate emerging leaders, others who can step up and be as effective as you, or in some cases, better than you in the areas you are weakest. But how? Most leaders are never taught how to engage their team in a way that cultivates the relationship and empowers the leader within them. Instead, far too many pull rank, make demands and set expectations without providing the tools necessary to deliver the results. The secret? Meet people where they are, rather than where you wish they were.
It’s no mystery that people move at different rates and are impeded by different obstacles so the next time you need to engage with a team member in a way that could cultivate their leadership skills, as them this question: What is the most important thing we should be talking about right now?
This will allow you to engage with them from their perspective rather than what you think is their perspective. It can get to the heart of their obstacles quickly and open the kind of dialogue that builds trust and moves business forward. Leadership is a behavior not a position; sometimes it requires patience, sometimes it requires decisive action, and sometimes it requires a powerful coaching question.
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