Nothing compares with the thrill of watching others grow in their own effectiveness, and knowing that I’ve had a little part in it.
Here are three things I’ve learned about equipping others to achieve excellence in their own work.
- Find and keep the best people.This is the leader’s most important task. You know these three reasons by heart by now. First, everything rises and falls on leadership. Second, those closest to you will determine the level of your personal success and that of the organization. And third, an organization’s growth potential is only as good as its personnel potential.
A person with the right attitude who merely lacks skills can be trained. But a person with all the skills in the world and a questionable attitude might never take you where you want to go. We all know that good people are hard to find. Search for them continually, and hire them regardless of openings. You can always find a place for another winner on your team, because they’ll pay their way and more.
Ask two questions of every person you consider: “Can they?” reveals a person’s ability; “Will they?” deals with attitude. If I had to give priority to one, I’d go with attitude. A person with the right attitude who merely lacks skills can be trained. But a person with all the skills in the world and a questionable attitude might never take you where you want to go.
Conversely, removing poor performers from an organization is as important as hiring great performers. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Poor performers are unable to pay their way, because they are in the wrong place.
Letting people go is one of the hardest parts of leadership. That’s a tough thing to do, but one that’s ultimately better for your organization and better for that person as well. It helps to know that by releasing them, they are much more likely to find a place where they can make a meaningful contribution, and in the process, feel good about themselves again.
- Make clear what needs to be done.
Excellence can only be achieved with clear expectations. If you want to help your team reach optimal performance, they need more from you than a list of specific tasks. They need to know how to add value to the organization and have opportunity to continually improve their personal performance.Develop job measurements that encourage improvement. Set achievable goals with your team and celebrate when they achieve them. Ensure early on that they get some wins under their belts. Continually communicate the need for continual communication. Invite constructive feedback. The last thing in the world a leader wants to hear from someone after a train wreck is, “I saw that one coming.” Make sure they have the opportunity to share their insights and concerns before the train leaves the station!
- Let them do what needs to be done.
If you don’t trust your team enough to let them go, one of two things is wrong. Either you violated rule number one and didn’t hire a winner, or you have a problem with control. Either way, you are severely limiting what that person could do for you, with you, and in you.Give people job ownership. Make it clear who is responsible for what. Don’t ever put someone in the position of having authority without responsibility. Get the decision-making process as close to the work as possible. Distribute authority, avoid micro-managing, and focus on the future.
By allowing people to give their lives to things that matter and create value, you’ll empower them. Empowered people feel the freedom to be creative, make decisions, and act without waiting on their leader. If you pick winners and give them this gift, you’ll achieve things you never dreamed were possible.
free monthly e-newsletter: Leadership Wired
available at www.INJOY.com.
John Maxwell grew up in the 1950s in the small Midwestern city of Circleville, Ohio. John's earliest childhood memory is of knowing that he would someday be a pastor. He professed faith in Christ at the age of three, and reaffirmed that commitment when he was 13. At age 17, John began preparing for the ministry. He attended Circleville Bible College, earning his bachelor's degree in 1969. In June of that same year, he married his sweetheart, Margaret, and moved to tiny Hillham, Indiana, where he began his first pastorate.
While serving in his second church, Maxwell began to study the correlation between leadership effectiveness and ministry effectiveness. On July 4, 1976, while preaching at a service commemorating America's bicentennial, John sensed that God was calling him into a ministry to pastors. Within days after that event, pastors began to contact him, asking for his assistance in nurturing their churches. Over the next four years, on an informal basis, John helped scores of fellow pastors. Then, in 1980, he was asked to become Executive Director of Evangelism for the Wesleyan denomination.
Though his time at Wesleyan headquarters was productive, John soon realized that his deeper desire was to help pastors from numerous denominations. He knew that desire would be unfulfilled if he were to stay at denominational headquarters. As a result, in 1981 John accepted the call to return to the pastorate, this time at Skyline Wesleyan Church in the San Diego, California area. But he did so with the church's blessing to pursue his vision. The Skyline congregation allowed him to continue mentoring and assisting pastors even as he led them to new levels.
In 1985, as he continued to equip and encourage other pastors, John took the next crucial step in leadership development. He founded a new company called INJOY and created the INJOY Life Club, featuring a monthly tape for leaders. The fledging operation, established in the corner of a garage, was soon bursting at the seams. The INJOY Life Club tapes were received with great enthusiasm, and the number of subscriptions quickly increased from hundreds to thousands. Simultaneously, the demand for other resources and seminars exploded. Pastors from coast to coast were responding, and their desire for help was even greater than John had anticipated.
As the years passed, INJOY began demanding more and more of John's time. In 1995, he resigned from his position as senior pastor at Skyline following a very fruitful 14-year tenure. The church had tripled in size and its lay ministry involvement had increased ten-fold. Dr. Maxwell is in great demand today as a speaker. Through his bestselling books, audio and video resources, and major conferences, he communicates directly with more than one million people every year. He is frequently asked to speak for organizations such as Promise Keepers and Focus on the Family, but his greatest joy and desire is to help pastors become better leaders.
Because the need for leadership development knows no borders, John established EQUIP, a non-profit organization which trains leaders in urban communities, academic institutions, and within international organizations. EQUIP is also spearheading a movement which has enlisted more than one million pastoral prayer partners who covenant to pray specifically for those who shepherd God's flock.
John continues to seek new opportunities to help churches and church leaders. He knows that one thing is constant: the only hope for the world is salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, who gives life abundantly.