Part 9 (2/2)

Threatened by People Development

Insecure leaders continually sabotage themselves and others. Because they worry about their position and standing, fearing that someone will take their place, they have a hard time investing in other people. Leaders who don't deal with their insecurities and overcome them rarely reach Level 4 as leaders. If you suspect that your insecurities may prevent you from moving up to the People Development level of leaders.h.i.+p, then be prepared to do some work in the following three areas.

Ego Leaders who are honest with themselves know that they don't have all the answers. They recognize that success comes when people work together, each person playing his or her part. Because of this, they don't try to answer every question themselves. They don't try to make every decision. They see winning as a collaborative effort. And their goal isn't to make others think more highly of them. It's to get their people to think more highly of themselves.

How can you tell if your ego might be getting in the way of your ability to move up to Level 4? Consider what happens when you meet with your team.

Do your team members share their thoughts and ideas freely?

Are the best ideas coming from others?

If you often contribute ideas, does the discussion quickly move from your idea to the best idea-and you're happy about it?

Now consider what happens when your team performs.

When your team succeeds, do the other team members get the majority of the credit?

Is there a shared sense of pride in the work that's being done?

When things go wrong, do you personally accept the greatest share of the blame?

If you can honestly answer yes to these questions, ego may not be a problem. If you answered no to many of those questions, beware. You may need to deal with your ego. Positive working environments led by secure leaders allow team members to get the credit. Level 4 leaders experience genuine joy in the success of others. When others s.h.i.+ne, so do they.

Control Many insecure workers try to avoid making mistakes by doing as little as possible or by trying to keep a low profile. Insecure leaders, on the other hand, often deal with the issue by relying on control. They think if they micromanage their people, they can keep them from making mistakes. But progress comes only from taking risks and making mistakes. Good leaders forge ahead, break ground, and make mistakes.

Since you can't prevent mistakes, why not adopt an att.i.tude in which you and your team learn from them? That's the only way anyone can really profit from mistakes anyway. Don't try to put people in a box. Try to help them make the most of their fumbles, flops, and failures. As Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, said, ”A leader's role is not to control people or stay on top of things, but rather to guide, energize, and excite.” That's what Level 4 leaders do.

Trust Insecure leaders don't place their trust in others, nor do they engender trust from others. As a result, they don't invest in others. And they don't become Level 4 leaders. As a leader, you should never take trust for granted. Only when you lose it do you really understand the value of it. If you want to become a People Development leader, you must give others your trust and earn their trust in return. There is no other way to succeed on Level 4.

3. Shortsightedness Can Keep Leaders from

Seeing the Need for People Development

How many times have you considered giving someone something to do and instead thought, It's easier to just do it myself? Doing work yourself is always faster and easier than developing other people so that they can do it. But that's short-term thinking! To become a developer of people, you have to be willing to adopt a long-term mind-set. If you pay the price on the front end, the return is great on the back end. On Level 4, the question isn't, what can you do? The question is, whom can you develop? Investing in people takes a lot of time and energy.

Shortsightedness, like selfishness and insecurity, is another sign of immaturity in a leader. People Development requires big-picture thinking. It takes patience. Helping another person to become a competent leader almost always takes longer than you think and is more difficult than you expect. You must do it anyway. Otherwise you limit the potential for yourself, your people, and your organization.

4. Lack of Commitment Can Keep Leaders

from Doing the Hard Work of People

Development

Anyone who can relate well with people, produce personally, and communicate a vision is capable of attracting a following. However, attracting, developing, and leading other leaders is much more difficult. And most leaders are not willing to put forth the tremendous effort it takes and make the sacrifices necessary to do it.

For some, the idea of giving themselves away by developing and empowering others to lead is very counterintuitive. Those people fear it will lessen them. But many others get it. They do it. And they see the incredible impact People Development can make. It transforms organizations and even impacts cultures. But it takes a high level of security and skill to do. And it requires a high degree of commitment.

Best Behaviors on Level 4

How to Develop People

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