The Next Idea

I enjoy Andy Stanley’s monthly Leadership Podcast.

The motto is “Helping leaders to go further, faster.”

Whether you are a leader in business or non-profit, these 20-minute nuggets will move you forward as you drive in your car or exercise.

Today while I road my bike, I listened to the first of a new series called, “Enemies of the Heart.” In this podcast, Andy pointed out that guilt from the past can cause a leader to doubt himself, fear risk and become suspicious of team mates motives. The leader’s unresolved feelings of guilt and regret can create a toxic organization.

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I’m a libertarian by nature so I give lots of freedom in my organizations. I’m collaboartive by nature, so I love to hear everyone’s input.

However, I’ve become a dictator when it comes to creating the culture of the teams I lead.

If you lead a team, you are 100% responsible for creating the culture, environment and personality of your team. If someone does not fit, you need to help them find another team.

Check out Mac Lake’s Team Non-negotiables posted in www.maclakeonline.com

One of the most important responsibilities of a leader is the development of other leaders. Too often we’re guilty of expecting our team members to grow, but we do little to help them in the developmental process.

If those on my team aren’t developing their leadership capacity then I have to ask myself, “What do I need to do differently?” I must assume the proper stewardship of my team and do my part to contribute to their growth. But unfortunately many team leaders neglect getting involved in their team members development.

Here are 5 Non-Negotiable actions I would require as a team leader that will help build a culture of leadership development among your team.

Require written goals
Have the individuals on your team turn in a one page written summary of their goals for the next 4 months. This lays the ground work for shared expectations and gives you a basis from which to coach their performance.

Require regular 1-1′s
Meet with each person on your team at least once a month if not twice a month. During those meetings review their goals, ask what problems they are encountering and use it as a time for individual coaching.

Require reading
A team that reads together learns together. Reading a leadership book and discussing it during team meetings creates an atmosphere of shared learning and development.

Require reproduction
Leaders should be producing leaders. Ram Charan in his book Leaders at All Levels recommends that everyone in your organization have “raising up new leaders” as a part of their job description. When someone is teaching others to lead it reinforces those principles in their own life.

Require evaluation
Have times of regular evaluation as a team. Ask them: What have we been doing well? What can we learn from that? Where do we need to improve? What can we learn from that?

Remember leadership development is a discipline that we must exercise everyday.

If you lead a team, what are your non-negotiables?
If you are on a team, has the leader made them clear?
Post your list below in the Comments: