YOU ONLY BECOME A LEADER WHEN YOU REALISE THIS

We become leaders the day we decide to help people grow, not numbers

Simon Sinek

I have been emphasising with the aspiring leaders I work with lately, that leadership is not all about us, but what we do with and for the people we lead. Simon Sinek's recent Facebook post absolutely resonates with this. We all want to be good at what we do. We all want to be the best we can be. But if we want to maximise our leadership influence, we must understand that it's not all about us.

True leaders understand that leadership is not about them, but about those they serve. It is not about exalting themselves, but about lifting others up

Sheri L Drew

Strive to be the best you can be, but realise that a leader's most important responsibility is to lift and inspire the performance of others.I have been challenging leaders to ask this simple question of their people. "What can I do to help you do your job?" Are you game enough to ask it?

DO THESE 3 THINGS AND WATCH YOUR PEOPLE GROW

Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon them and to let them know you trust them.

Booker T. Washington

A leader's number one job is to grow and develop their people. Do these three things and watch them respond.

1. Give them responsibility. I encourage leaders to delegate all of the tasks that someone else in the organisation can do and to focus just on just the tasks that only they can do. Work out what you are going to get someone else to do. Be specific about your expectations, the outcome required and the timeframe.

2. Trust them. This will take courage. You have to accept the risk that they may not get it 100% right. Unless people are given opportunities to shine they won't grow, so take the risk.

3. Support them. Set them up for success, not failure. Make sure that they have everything they need to do the job (time, skills, resources). Also offer to guide them as they go if they need it.
 
To be honest, this is not going to work every time with every person. You actually have to risk failure in order to go forward. In the majority of cases people will accept the responsibility and rise to the occasion. They grow in confidence and self belief. You get a more capable, engaged team. Everyone wins.