How to grow the people on your team
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One of the vital responsibilities of leadership is bringing out the best in your people by helping them connect with, explore, use, and grow in their gifts and area(s) of strength/passion. A good leader doesn't put a lid on his team's abilities but instead creates the right environment and motivation for the growth and amplification of those abilities. Also, a good leader doesn't just people, he grows them.
Jack Welch (author and former Chairman and CEO of General Electric) said, "Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." How remarkably true this statement is. Always remember that as a leader, you are NOT in competition with your team. Consequently, it's no use playing king of the hill.You truly succeed when your people succeed. And the definition of success for a leader is the growth of the people they lead.
So how can you grow the people the Lord has placed in your care? How can you help them reach their potential? The following information is not an exhaustive list, but one place to start is to assist them in discovering their God-given abilities, strengths, and gifts. They can find these in the place of prayer, listening to the Holy Spirit, studying and meditating on God's Word, introspection, requesting feedback, serving/volunteering, etc.
Secondly, you want to help them focus on building their strengths and partnering with people who can complement their weaknesses. It is a waste of time and effort to train an eagle how to climb a tree – but you can help that eagle soar higher in the sky. Put differently, teach and coach your people to build on their God-given passion(s) and gift(s).
Give them more responsibilities that require them to use their gifts, send them to conferences and training that build on their passions and skills, mentor them (or connect them with mentors in their field), and expose them to more significant challenges that stretch them beyond their comfort zone (but not beyond their strength zone). Do this long enough, and you will soon have a team of champions.
If you are not growing the people on your team, you fail in an essential and fundamental task as their leader. As Dr. John Maxwell says, "A leader's credibility begins with personal success. It ends with helping others achieve personal success."
Grow your people.
 | Dr. Rukevwe Odjimogho is a Certified Learning and Development Specialist, a Maxwell-Certified DISC Behavioral Analysis Consultant and Trainer, and a Leadership Coach, Speaker, and Teacher with the Maxwell Leadership Team. He is also a Medical Educator at Windsor University School of Medicine, the Director of a health-based community service outreach, and a Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Providence Center, situated on the beautiful island of St. Kitts & Nevis. Learn More » |
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