Leadership for Managers Part 2
Do you like to be managed? Or do you prefer to follow someone who knows where they are going and is interested in your development?
A large part of my work is in teaching managers the art of people leadership. People Leadership is getting the best from people by connecting their intrinsic motivators with the goals and vision of the organisation.
The good people leader understands that they must develop both performance and potential. Performance is usually a more tangible measurement in terms of output whereas potential (how ready is this person for increased reward and responsibility) is more challenging to judge.
HR Practitioners are fond of using a 9-box grid with performance as the horizontal axis and performance as the vertical. High potential talents are those people in the top right box (high potential + high performance) and these persons are usually selected for a high potential program.
The challenge for people leaders is how to develop potential and performance for the other 8 boxes and this is particularly relevant in the current climate when layoffs are common and promotions are rarer.
Performance is best managed by setting clear objectives, giving regular feedback and encouragement. A good match of person to task is essential and good leaders are on the lookout for barriers to performance such as internal conflict and systems that do not support the individual or team to stretch.
Potential is capacity plus mindset. The person can take on more responsibility and is ready and willing to do it. The question facing managers is whether potential is fixed or can be developed?
Did you have a teacher at school or college that believed in you more than you believed in yourself? Chances are you excelled in their class. People leaders know how to see the potential in people and bring it out. So how do they do it?
Firstly People Leaders engender trust, they make it safe to grow, develop and learn from your mistakes. This trust encourages people to try new things and to take on new responsibilities. In the absence of trust people play it safe and don’t take risks. The current climate has put a strain on trust; people no longer trust the banks or the financial institutions and maybe not even their own company! Being aware of this the good people leader will do everything in their power to be trustworthy, by telling the truth as they know it, and be consistent and congruent in their actions.
Secondly peeople leaders have and unwavering belief that people are more than their actions and that people perform at their best when what they do has meaning and significance to them. The younger generation, the so-called Gen Y, in particular need to know that what they do is meaningful and will not perform optimally unless we show them the big picture.
In positive psychology the belief in people’s potential is known as the Pygmalion Effect after the book by George Bernard Shaw and is a form of ‘self fulfilling prophesy’. If you believe you have potential and act as if you have potential you will have potential. So do you have the potential to be a better people leader?
(This blog is copyright Andrew Bryant. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)
