Personal Development

I have made it a practice to set aside time to develop those around me. A few people have humbled me by saying 'You have purposefully mentored and coached me now for more than a decade'. It is very full-filling to hear that out of the blue. I give my team time for counsel and advice. I help them wrestle with awkward or difficult situations. I also schedule time for equipping them on a regular basis. Some of my teammates have said the ongoing leadership instruction that I give as being truly valuable to them. Remember, everyone is different so know your team individually and what makes each of them tick before you embark on this journey. Another teammate reminded me of the experiences I have shared with her and others. She again humbled me by saying 'I always want the other people around me to be able to experience the privileges and opportunities I have been fortunate to have been through'.

I try to give my team what I can. Sometimes it is time with them. At other times I am able to give guidance and be a mentor or just a sounding board or active listener. If I can share a valuable experience , I do. As an example, that same team member mentioned how with my help she was able to have a very important meeting with a CEO of a major fortune 100 company with ease. No fear, just full of confidence and the CEO now regularly calls upon her for her thoughts. Another one of my teammates had always had a dream of meeting a very important person in the IT world. When I had an opportunity to meet with this person, I shared that experience with that teammate by taking him with me. These two incidents were very exciting to my teammates, but they were no more valuable then the more common growing experiences that I try to share with my team day to day. I look for opportunities to share myself with my team, and you should as well. What can you do for someone today to help develop them? Know your team individually and this should be easy for you and you will plant seeds that will sprout and bloom into a true high performance team.