In leadership, we learn that we need to recruit and grow people, then let them go. In theory, that should work, right? And it usually does, for a while. It works as long as the new leader stays motivated. Aren't all leaders self-motivated? You wish. There is initial excitement as they spread their wings and start to fly. Then rocks start getting thrown at them - confusion, disappointment, isolation, anger, fear, embarassment, CHANGE. All these things start coming at them to take them off course. Often, they don't reach out - they don't want to disappoint, or they're embarassed that they are not meeting expectations. They may even avoid you when they need you the most. So now you get to decide what kind of leader you want to be. Will you wait, and assume that "they're fine" because they haven't reached out to you? Or do you continue to offer your support, train them to keep them on track, and recognize their efforts to keep them excited? Do you just throw them out of the nest and hope they get their wings? Or do you stay along side them to help them soar with you? A wingman makes your flight easier, too.
One of my leadership activities is being a business coach. I help others identify their goals and plan strategies to achieve their goals. Very often, the initial coaching goes something like this- "What are your goals?" "These are my goals." "What do you need to do to achieve these goals?" "I need to do a,b,c." "When do you want to have these goals achieved?" "By this date." And then off they go. OK- so there is more, but this boils it down to the essentials. Next coaching (after they have actually done some of the steps) sometimes goes like this- "No one will a or b." "What was their objection?" "I asked them to a or b for me, and they just said no." "What did you offer them?" "I offered them a or b and they said no." "What was in it for them?" "I didn't even get to tell them because they said no." "So why would they want a or b?&quo
Comments
Post a Comment