Called to Lead? Part 2
Last week, I discussed why some leaders do not live up to their potential. I hope that the article provided insight into why some of your leaders are not meeting your expectations. Today, I want to discuss ways to help build those leaders up to become more confident in their leadership journey and help your organization thrive.
1. We need to build our subordinate's self-confidence. To do this, we need to build trust. The conundrum here is that if there is no trust, it is challenging to give them a task. Building trust requires the senior leader to give a second chance. In Luke 16:10, Jesus said that those who are trusted with little could also be trusted with much. Senior leaders, these same principles apply to our subordinates. Allowing junior leaders the opportunity to lead and accomplish a small task that will build self-confidence. When they string together a few successes, the confidence starts to come back again, as does the trust from the senior leader. Consequently, senior leaders entrust the junior leader with more significant tasks.
I can remember a few conversations with my commander(s) where we talked about an individuals' progress. What made it meaningful for the junior leader was us bringing them into the office to give them effective praises for their work. This also demonstrated accountability because they knew we were monitoring their progress. As time went on, the junior leaders started surpassing their peers in terms of trust and were assigned more significant tasks.
2. As Daren mentioned in his previous blog, we need to think about how we set up goals. Sitting down and setting mutually agreed-upon goals helps junior leaders understand their senior leader's mindset and vision. Don't put the bar so high that they can't reach it! If you know that they will never be able to attain a score of 600 on their ACFT, don't make that a goal. Find their average score and shoot to increase it by smaller percentages.
The same applies to them leading their teams. Set goals on attainable tasks, offer your guidance and support and get out of the way. Equally important, make sure they have a deadline. If it is a small project, ask for an update by the end of the day. Have them report progress every few days if it is a bigger project. While there is no right amount of time per se, you don't want them to feel micromanaged.
3. Like Mike said in his previous blog, it is essential to accept our failures and share the responsibility with the junior leaders who failed. Don't be harsh on them if they fail. Many leaders that want to succeed will beat themselves up sufficiently without someone else beating them down.
I have had many conversations with junior leaders that were disappointed in themselves. Instead of piling it on them, I listened and empathized with them. I then told them to remember the lessons they learned and use them in the future. DO NOT KICK THEM WHILE THEY ARE DOWN! You will shatter what little confidence they have left. Trust them with another task and give them a chance to redeem themselves.
Again, this isn't an all-inclusive list. I am sure many of you have had your share of success stories in building your subordinates up. I would love to hear about them in the comments below. Until then, show junior leaders how to build others up. Hopefully, they will follow suit with the next generation of leaders.
~Rey