Leaders Bring Others With Them
Posted by Kevin Logterman on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 @ 11:42 AM
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In a recent golf outing, I ran into my old high-school cross-country coach. Meeting him reminded me of the fun times in school, of being part of a team that consistently finished in the top 3 in the state and of finding a passion I still have for running.
Our team had some great runners, but the guy who really led our team was Paul Voss. Paul was a 3-time state champ, a natural runner with all the talent in the world. What set him apart was how he led our team to success.
Paul knew that he could outrun anyone in the state and really didn’t need to worry about anything other than getting himself ready and in shape to win the state championship. But Paul, aware that cross-country was a team sport, did something that wasn’t the best for him but helped the rest of us raise our level and make us a great team.
In at least one practice every week, Paul would take one of the other runners on the varsity team and run with them. He wouldn’t run at their pace but pushed us to run at his pace. Not the easiest of practices but, by his example and motivation, Paul showed us that we had more speed and endurance than we imagined. He raised our confidence and, in so doing, our abilities. The end result was a stronger and successful team.
I see the same qualities in exceptional business leaders. Clearly, most CEOs and Presidents are talented professionals, have proven to be top performers and can do a lot on their own. Where the noteworthy leaders set themselves apart is in their inclusion of others, involving their team and others in the organization, making others better.
During a recent kick-off meeting with a new client, I was reminded of this level of leadership. The CEO of our client company went to great lengths to involve his entire senior team, direct reports and others in the search process. He could have easily answered our questions himself, but wanted others to provide feedback, share their insights and challenge his thoughts for what was needed in the qualities of the position we were retained to fill. It also gave each member a chance to learn from others involved in the process.
How are you involving your employees in the decision-making process? What are you doing to make others around you better? Are you spending your time trying to get things done through others and, in the process, making them better?