You’re Not in Charge

Owners, managers, team leads… what if you didn’t consider yourself “in charge” but rather tasked with caring for those who are “in your charge”?

I believe our most important goal as leaders is to develop new superstars.  Some people come to us primed and ready to do just that.  They’re the easy ones.  But others come to us unaware of their untapped potential and seemingly happy right where they are.  Many are too run down and exhausted by life’s demands to care about doing anything other than surviving the workday.  Still, others are doubtful of their abilities or emotionally stunted by bad management or other hurtful episodes in their past and come to us with a chip on their shoulder or a high suspicion about a manager or teammate’s motives.

Our own growth as leaders and managers lies not with the “easy” ones but with the ones who challenge us. They are where our best future work resides. They will be our biggest and best victories.

While we’re not tasked (nor skilled enough) to be their psychological saviors, we are tasked with bringing out the very best in our people over time. That means, of course, that we must find a way to push them to improve, grow, and reach for more. But most people don’t take this kind of feedback well or easily. Many have had poor managers in the past who criticized, demeaned, embarrassed, or ignored them, causing a massive lack of trust when receiving even well-intentioned feedback from us.

If we give it to them “straight,” it can come off as a direct and heavy-handed criticism, which is rarely received well. Conversely, if you skirt the issue or sugar-coat it, they don’t get it and don’t reach their potential. So, how do we give that kind of feedback and coaching without alienating them? I believe we must communicate with both clarity and inspiration.

If we focus on clarifying our high standards and then proceed to communicate how much we believe in their ability to meet those standards, we communicate our requirements and our faith in them. Our most important job is to invite our people into a bigger, better, clearer story about who they can become, the impact they can make, and the influence and future they can have. Our second-most important task is to open the door to the resources and support they will need to stretch and meet these high standards.

We care for the people in our charge by coaching and supporting them to reach for more and excel beyond what they might believe is possible today. If you are an owner, manager, or team leader, and you’d like to learn how to do this with anyone who reports to you, reach out to our team at LionSpeak. We’ve got video trainings as well as both on-site and virtual training programs. We also have a Leadership Pride group that meets regularly to grow ourselves as leaders so that we can inspire and coach our team members to unlock their potential.

You can grow new superstars. You can build an amazing, self-reliant team. You can become a leader your team loves and respects. Learn the skills you need first and then teach them to fly.

“A leader takes people where they want to go.  A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”

~ Rosalynn Carter