What would you do if you had the very best people on your team? What would you do if you had the most talented people on your team? Would you dictate every action that they were to take; every move that they were to make; every strategy that they must pursue? Or, would you show them your vision for the future; the goals that should be reached; the desired outcomes?
When my first agency manager, Ray, was looking for new agents to bring into the agency, he would remind agents, supervisors, and sales managers that “1st class people hire 1st class people. 2nd class people hire 3rd class people.” This was his way of reminding everyone that we wanted the very best to be part of our team. He believed that the best leaders had no fear of someone surpassing them or being better than them. He lived the belief that the truest measure of a leader’s success was how many new, outstanding, team leaders he developed.
Great Leaders recognize the truth of this belief. Great Leaders know that the only way to build a strong team is to bring the very best people into the team, to show them what the end goal is, and give them the authority and the power to develop winning strategies for the attainment of that goal. As Ray used to tell us, let that talented individual see what can be accomplished and then get out of the way and let them do it.
Great Leaders also know that micro-managing is a sure road to tearing down a strong team; to undermining the confidence of the people who comprise the team and turn them into drones who are fearful of taking any action without direct “say-so” from the boss lest they be criticized or penalized for having the audacity to take the initiative.
Steve Jobs once said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do”. Great Leaders follow this advice!
Have you had the privilege of working with a Great Leader who showed you how much you were capable of accomplishing and then got out of the way and let you do it? Click “Comment” and share that experience.
Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com