Teddy Roosevelt once had a little dog that was always fighting and always getting licked. Someone said, "Colonel, he's not much of a fighter." Roosevelt replied, “Oh, he's a good fighter. He's just a poor dog judge. »
Leaders must be able to judge the potential of others and find and develop more leaders – able to discern where a person is, know where they are supposed to go, and provide what they will need when they arrive.
The bottom line in any successful business or organization is that no one can do it alone. If you really want to be a great leader, you have to create a great team. A lot of people think this means they need followers, and they believe the key to their leadership is gaining more followers. But the best leaders surround themselves with other leaders. Not only is their burden lightened, but their vision continues and expands.
This is why I believe so much in the power of mentoring. A mentor is someone who teaches, guides, and uplifts others because of their experience and insight. A mentor is someone with a head full of experience and a heart full of generosity who puts these things together for another person.
Wherever you are in your leadership journey, I bet there is someone a little earlier who could use your mentorship. You owe it to them and to yourself to offer it. What's the point of success if we can't share it with others?
Judging who you will share your time and experience with is of the utmost importance, as this will give your efforts the best chance of delivering value. Here are some guidelines for selecting the right people to mentor and develop:
1. Select people whose philosophy is similar to yours.
It will be difficult to develop someone whose values are too different from yours.
2. Choose people with potential you really believe in.
If you don't believe it, you won't give them the time they need. And before long, they will discover your lack of self-confidence. Belief in their potential, on the other hand, will empower them. Some of the greatest professional athletes in the country come from tiny colleges that receive no publicity. All the ballplayers needed was for the professional scouts to recognize the potential the right opportunity could bring. The secret to mentorship in any field is to help a person get to where they are ready to go.
3. Determine what they need.
Determining what potential leaders need requires objectively looking at their strengths and weaknesses. Their strengths indicate the directions to take, what they can become. Their weaknesses show us what we need to help them improve. Encouraging them in their strengths and helping them overcome their weaknesses will bring them closer to their potential.
4. Constantly assess their progress.
People need feedback, especially early in their development. Ben Franklin said, "The eye of the master will do more work than his two hands." He knew that leaders' ability to evaluate is their greatest strength. An honest mentor will be impartial. If necessary, he will encourage a person to stay the course, seek another direction, or even connect with another mentor.
5. Be committed, serious and available to the people you supervise.
The development of potential leaders around you will be a reflection of your commitment to them:poor commitment equals poor development; great commitment equals great development.
By personalizing each person's journey through your dedicated mentorship, you help them maximize their potential. You give them a chance to discover their true purpose. You also maximize their contribution to you and your organization, if they are already part of your team.
Most people agree that education is important for the development of children. However, they often fail to see its importance in the workplace. They assume that potential leaders will feed themselves. If we as leaders do not nurture the potential leaders around us, they will never become the types of leaders we desire. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is one of the finest compensations in this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”
When you nurture others through your mentorship, everyone wins.
John C. Maxwell
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John C. Maxwell, an internationally acclaimed leadership expert, speaker and author who has sold over 18 million books, has been named the inaugural I/O Means Ambassador. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained more than 5 million leaders in 126 countries around the world. A New York Times , The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek; bestselling author, Maxwell has written three books that have sold over one million copies.
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