When I first entered the financial services arena a number of years ago, I was encouraged to be on the lookout for people who I felt could become successful sales people. Not sure what to look for, I asked my agency manager, Ray, for some suggestions as to what traits or skills I should be looking for. Rather than list specific “bullet point” characteristics, he offered a two sentence answer. Later in my career, when it became my job to identify such people and recruit them to work for the company I represented, I realized that his initial guidance was, by far, the best advice I would ever get and I believe that truly great leaders follow it to this day. Here is what he said,
“First class people seek out and surround themselves with first class people. Second class people look for third class people.”
Those who are less than great leaders surround themselves with sycophants and “yes men” who will tell them how right they are, how perfect their ideas are, how brilliant their thinking is. They fear those who are more knowledgeable, more creative, than themselves. They fear competition from those who have the abilities to excel and could be promoted ahead of them.
Great leaders are not intimidated by people who know more about a subject than they do. They do not fear competition from their co-workers and team members. Rather, they seek out and recruit the finest minds and best workers available knowing that by forging a team of such individuals, they create a team that has the greatest chance for success, whatever the endeavor.
When he was elected as the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln could easily have nominated lesser men to serve in his cabinet; men who would have told him what he wanted to hear. Instead, he persuaded those who had been his greatest competitors for his party’s nomination to serve in his cabinet; men who were far more educated than him; men who disagreed with him and were not afraid to say so. Together, Lincoln and his cabinet led this nation through its darkest hours and I would contend that this was possible solely because Lincoln surrounded himself with the greatest talent and most knowledgeable people he could find.
As a leader, you have the ability to choose those who will advise you and help lead your team. Do you choose to be a great leader or will you settle for mediocrity?