“The Power of Leadership”

A message to management: Have you ever stopped to think that “The worst performer on your team could be you?”

When a sports team has a loosing record, you do not replace all the players, you replace the head-coach and in some cases, the entire coaching staff. So why is it that in business these days the preferred solution seems to be to fire the workers?

A common comment I hear from managers, especially those over age 50 is “I didn’t have it easy coming up and neither should my employees. If the employees don’t like my methods, they can always quit”.

Well, guess what? That is exactly what your “best employees” will do, leaving you with average to below average employees because they are the only ones who will work for you.

We all hope that our own children do better than we do. That they climb higher than we did. We work hard so that they have to work less while growing up than we had too. That they receive a better education that we had. We help them along their way in life. But why do we not treat our employees the same? In some respects, you have the same responsibility to guide and lead the people who report to you in the workplace as you do your own children.

I was lucky to learn an important lesson early in my working career. That the best employees will grow with or without your help. They will rise within the organization. Some will even surpass your own accomplishments, for they should. Like your own children, some will have better educations and better overall preparation than you had as you were growing in your own career.

Three career paths are available to these bright young people under your charge. 1) You can help them, mentor them and push them to grow beyond what they themselves believe possible. 2) They will find a path to go around you within your own company. 3) They will quit and join a company, probably a competitor, where they are encouraged to reach their top potential.

If your employees choose 1) they may in fact rise above you. It is possible that one of these employees may end-up being your boss some day. However, in their rise in the organization, by helping them in their climb up-the-company ladder, they will in turn help you to rise to greater heights than you can on your own. They will push you, but will do so as one pushes a mentor. They may well be your corporate life-line some day if the need does comes to cut-back on staff during unexpected business down-turns.

If your employees choose 2) they may in fact still rise above you and may still end-up being your boss some day. However, you will not get credit for helping them climb up-the-company ladder and for sure, they will not be supportive of you if the unexpected business down-turn comes.

If your employees choose 3) they may in fact still rise above you, but with a competitor. When your remaining employees see this, they may join the competitor to work with their former colleague. Word will eventually get out, both to your competitors as well as your own company leaders that employees under your charge can easily be hired away. It will not be long now before your future with your company is now in jeopardy.

Which option will you choose? 1, 2 or 3? The choice is yours to make and the result is yours to live with.

“We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.”… Malcolm Gladwell

Have A Good Day!

Russ

Russ M. Miller, LLIF – Chairman & CEO
Performance Institute (Human Capital Development)
Global CEO Academy (Management Training)
Sunny Hong Zhang – Managing Partner – China
Shawn M. Miller – Managing Partner – USA

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