This is a Fundamental Leadership Competency

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Search online for “lists of leadership competencies,” and you’ll find hundreds of lists from various groups, companies, and experts. Ranging in length from 5-32 competencies, these well-intended lists can be helpful in designing learning plans and expectations for leaders. But too often, I find that a fundamental leadership competency is missing from these lists:

The best leaders see and encourage people to reach their potential.

Why This is So Important?

Think about it this way. Leaders aren’t accomplishing things alone – they have a team. Together, they are striving for a goal or objective beyond current achievement or accomplishment – which means change is required. So, for leaders to succeed in reaching those goals, they can’t do it alone, or with current levels of activity.

The leaders that reach those outcomes consistently do it with and through their team. And for those team members to achieve more, they need the support and encouragement of their leaders.

When leaders get this competency right, most every other part of their job gets easier, increasing their odds of success.

How To Build this Competency

Building this competency starts with belief. When you believe that people have potential and can grow and improve, you are more likely to see that potential. Call this good use of confirmation bias.?

This belief cascades into the actions of this competency – seeing potential and encouraging it.

Once we believe in one’s potential, we will begin to look for examples of their promise. And once we see those examples, it is easier to encourage them.

This is one of the shortest articles I’ve written for this newsletter– but perhaps one of the most important. If you want to be a more effective leader, you must see and encourage people to reach their potential. Doing so makes a bigger positive impact on that person, your team and organizational results, and the world around you.

It’s Your Turn

Think of a person in your life who sees and encourages you to reach your potential.? Thank them today. And if you want to acknowledge here, you can do that too.? ??

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Kevin, Live!

Join me today at 11 ET here on LinkedIn as Jones Loflin “interviews” me about How Teams Can Achieve Remarkable Results.?

This is your chance to learn from my 30 years of experience leading teams - and coaching those that lead them.? And if you can join live, you can join the conversation with your questions too!

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A version of this article first appeared in our blog .

Looking Back

As we celebrate our 30th year in business, I am looking back at some of what I have learned.? Here’s one of those things…

Keys to Coaching Success

There is no question that one of a leader’s most important and potentially impactful roles is that of coaching others. And let’s be clear – coaching isn’t something we do only when someone isn’t meeting their performance objectives. Coaching is something everyone needs to help them move closer to their potential.

If we want to be better coaches, here are some things to consider. I’ll place them in our familiar mindset/skillset/habitset model.

Effective Coaching Mindsets

• Believe in the potential of those we coach. If you don’t believe they can succeed, you won’t effectively coach them.
• Be curious. If you assume or diagnose a cause too soon, you won’t be successful in coaching others.

Effective Coaching Skillsets

• Be clear on the goal of the coaching. You must know what you are coaching toward. If not, there is little chance for the person being coached to succeed.
• Create ownership. The best coaches help those they are coaching take ownership of their performance, behaviors, and results.

Effective Coaching Habitsets

• Listen carefully. You can’t understand, be supportive, or provide guidance that will be readily accepted if you aren’t actively listening.
• Always be coaching. Coaching is a process and a journey, not a meeting or occasional event. The best coaches continue to provide insight, support, encouragement, and correction.

More on Your Coaching Success

Here is a link to my recent conversation with Meredith Bell about what makes coaching really work.