I get asked a lot about how to help companies get their revenues and profits to grow. Sometimes my first response stops them in their tracks. They aren’t expecting me to tell them that the best way to get your company growing is not with some new marketing or sales campaign, but through a diligent effort to invest in their people by managing the people first, and letting them find their best work. Helping people to grow is a leading indicator to them one day helping to build success for the teams they work on, and for the larger company. By managing and leading a company in a servant leader methodology where you are equipping and supporting your team, you will create the conditions that lead to the creation of a sales and marketing machine. Today’s blog is the third installment in our five-part series about how to build success through managing your people toward strong consistent growth. Interested? Read on….
People Do Their Best Work When They’re In The Right Seat – By now, you’ve probably heard of Jim Collins. His encouragement in “Good To Great” was to get the right people on the bus. In addition to having the Right People, you have to have them in the right seats on the bus. Sometimes an organization will have the right people in the company, but they have them in a job that is all wrong for them. What a waste! Your mission is to only hire the right people, the ones who fit your company’s culture and values, and furthermore, you MUST get them into the right seat. It’s only when a person is in a role where they have a great chance to be highly successful when they begin to ascend to doing their very best work. Align your people with a position that is right within the sweet spot for what they can do well, what they like doing, and what makes them feel successful. I can tell you from experience that getting the right person in the right seat makes the magic happen. Having the right person in the wrong seat is a recipe for frustration and failure, all around. If you have to move someone from a position that they are struggling in, to one where they can thrive, be certain to position the change as an opportunity for greater success, not a response to a problem…
People Do Their Best Work When They Know Their Boss Cares – You want, and you desperately need every one of your employee associates to bring their entire selves to their work every day. Your job is to create an environment where people view their career as an essential element to their overall success in life. They gain an understanding that their success at work is a big part of the formula for success in their life as a whole. When your workforce can feel that you treat them with respect and handle them in a dignified way, then they will respond with their very best energy and engagement, and they will do their work in the best possible manner. You have to nurture your people, and you have to make sure that they KNOW, really know, that you care about them as a human being, and that you acknowledge that it is a big part of your responsibility to help them to find their way to personal and professional growth. Connect with your people, and help them to connect with other people on the team, so that everyone feels commitment all the way around the organization. Get involved in their lives, not just in their work. Help them to accomplish their dreams. You can do it.
I learned during my management career that if I worked to flip the organization chart upside down, and I enabled the best work and success of my people, day in and day out, that they would return the favor. I found that by serving others, by putting them in the right role, and by treating them like they were my equal, and a staunch ally in our mission, I would get tremendous results from my people. Over the last 8 years, as I’ve been consulting and coaching Leadership Teams and their Emerging Leaders, I’ve found that the same approach works fantastically for my clients. It will work for you, too! Just roll up your sleeves and start helping your people to grow. Give them your full attention, get them in the right seats, and let them know that you are supporting them fully, and watch them grow as they learn to win and succeed.
Michael Beach is an Executive Development Coach who has founded a firm with offices in Minnesota and Arizona. He is a proud member of the Arizona Technology Council, and recently launched a podcast called the “What Are You Doing?” podcast. Michael has a free Youtube channel that you can subscribe to with tons of great ideas about how to develop leadership in yourself and others. The podcast regularly discusses leadership development with Michael speaking with best selling authors, national thought leaders, business owners, C-Suite Executives, and great Coaches and Consultants. Join us, and become a part of the conversation
