Leadership Training - Develop Great People

Posted August 9, 2010 in Leadership Training Blog by Andrew Sisley

As a leader, you have an opportunity, in fact a responsibility, to develop the skills of others.

Here are three things you can focus on in order to develop great people.

1: Consider Them Individually
2: Bring Out The Best In Them
3: Nurture Their Growth

1: Consider Them Individually

Dale Carnegie wrote, `Become genuinely interested in other people ‘.

When someone feels that their leader is genuinely interested in them as an individual, they feel more valued and are more responsive to and supportive of your leadership effort.

As a leader you must focus on people as individuals. Each person will naturally have a different development level.

Considering each person’s:

- experience

- time in the job

- education

- background

… and all other contributing performance factors, allows you to align your leadership style to best meet their individual development needs.

Never assume that what works well for one, will work well for the other – consider them individually.

2: Bring Out The Best In Them

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Your job as a leader is to identify both and then actively find ways to:

a: improve their weaknesses:

- provide specific skills training

- assign a mentor

- provide clearer direction

- make short term additional resources available

b: further develop their strengths:

- give them more responsibility

- provide high level training and development

- develop their expertise

- provide experience in different work areas

Both strengths and weaknesses provide clear areas for you to focus on, and therefore prime opportunities for you to do your job as a leader and bring out the best in people.

3: Nurture Their Growth

To nurture their growth you need to focus on two aspects:

1: Their competence:

By competence we mean what people are capable of; each person’s individual level of skill and ability to perform the tasks that are required in their role. The variables that influence a person’s competence are endless, however by focusing on their competence (strengths and weaknesses) you can tailor your leadership style to meet their needs, thus developing their professional skill set.

2: Their perspective:

By perspective we mean each person’s individual way of thinking about or evaluating a message, subject or situation, based on their personality, frame of mind, experience, wants and needs.

By considering their perspective and acting on it:

- remembering to listen

- being conscious of the signals they are sending out

- tuning in to their needs

- focussing on their needs not yours, and

- showing that you are genuinely interested in them

… as a leader you are once again working to engage them fully, demonstrating that you are genuinely interested in others, in particular … them.

Developing great people is a win-win practice. You brig out the best in them, and they do their bet for you.