How To Help Others Reach Their Potential

As a leader you know the success of your team is going to depend in large part on the people you have working with you. You spend a lot of time and energy finding just the right people. You don’t simply look for experience, you look for people with the right attitude, who you believe have potential, the ones you see growing with you and your team

 

Now the question is, how do help those people reach their potential?

 

Listen to them

When you give someone your complete attention, you are giving them space to express what they think and how they feel. People feel valued and want to do their best when they feel listened to. Really listening to someone isn’t simply a matter of listening to the words they say, it’s about listening with the intention of hearing the meaning of those words.

 

Does this person need help with some aspect of what they’re doing? Are they saying they can do more? Is something making them uncomfortable?

 

If you aren’t completely clear, ask questions. Listen to what they say and respond appropriately.

 

Give clear direction

Make sure people understand exactly what is expected of them. Never make assumptions about what they already know or what they can do. Ask them. Make it your business to know exactly what everyone you work with is capable of.

 

Challenging your people is great, but before you challenge someone to hit a homerun, confirm they know how to play baseball.

 

Once you start seeing results, ensure you praise effort not ability. A person who feels valued and encouraged will work a lot harder to do a great job than someone for whom a task comes easily.

 

The Fast Company article Six Habits of People Who Know How To Bring Out The Best in Others puts it this way, “As a leader, the most important part of your job isn’t your results. Your job is to inspire your employees’ results.”

 

Be honest

You may be really strong in certain things and less proficient in others. People will trust you if you are honest with them and in turn feel comfortable being honest with you. Instead of feeling like you need to appear to you know all the answers, let people know when you don’t. Let them know when you need help and accept it graciously when it’s offered. Trust and honesty are integral to building a strong team. Success in organizations with a strong team backbone is shared success everyone can feel proud of.

 

Acknowledge a job well done

When someone does good work or great work, acknowledge it. When someone feels like their efforts are noticed and appreciated they will keep doing what they’re doing and will be inspired to do even more

 

See the opportunity through the eyes of your team members

People are excited about doing their best when their work when it’s motivating and fulfilling. The article, Bringing Out The Best In Employees from the London Business School, mentions five characteristics employees consider important for feeling fulfilled in their work:

 

• Having responsibility for doing something worthwhile
• Being given a high level of freedom for how results are achieved
• Having an opportunity to extend oneself and to develop expertise
• Being given an opportunity to work with good colleagues
• Achieving recognition for doing a good job.

 

 

Set an example

You want to inspire people to do their best. That means you need to be doing your best, day in and day out. You need to set the example for others to follow. The most long lasting, dedicated people are the ones who are inspired by possibilities. You might think you can get more out of people through intimidation or rewards, but really they will do their best when they’re inspired to do their best. Be the inspiration.

Lead With A Smile

You know how everyone always says life is in the details? Leadership in an area of life where attention to detail makes all the difference. It’s the difference between people feeling like they are part of a cohesive, healthy, thriving team or an unmotivated, uninspired one.  As social creatures people want to feel appreciated, they want to feel seen and heard. They thrive when they feel like they and their work matters.  There are a few details strong leaders remember to bring into their days to bring out the best in their people.

 

Acknowledge good work

As a leader you expect people to do good work, but that doesn’t mean you should just accept a job well done as part of the day’s work. When someone does good work, acknowledge it right away. It could be a simple as just a few words to an individual or a shout out in front of the whole team. Praise creates a positive thriving atmosphere for the whole team. It creates friendly competition. It creates good feelings all around.

 

Give 100% attention

As a leader you probably have a lot on your plate. Deadlines to meet, tasks to juggle, many people to coordinate. With so much going on you may be inclined to multi-task with your attention. Strong leaders don’t. When you are listening to someone, give them 100% of your attention, 100% of the time. Even if you’ve got both eyes planted on someone, if your attention isn’t fully there the person you’re talking to knows. If they feel like you’re not giving them 100% of your attention they won’t be inclined to give their job 100% of theirs.

 

When you’re explaining what needs to get done, put your full attention into that too. Don’t just say what you want done, explain why. Put tasks into context. We need to do X in order to achieve Y. People feel more involved and inclined to give their all when they understand the big picture.

 

Smile

Smiles are contagious. When you smile at someone, they will smile back. Smiles create positive feelings of acceptance. Smiles are bridges, they are connectors. If you want to make yourself feel better, smile. Smiling can lift your mood, and lower your stress levels. By encouraging others to smile you automatically help lift their moods and lower their stress levels.

 

Not only does smiling make everyone feel better it also makes you seem more approachable. When people feel confident about approaching you, you can put your 100% attention and praise giving skills into action!