Any great leader knows that the success of their organisation or department depends on the calibre of people who fill their teams and on how well they are able to inspire and influence them. I am sure that you have a picture in your mind of the perfect people, who you would want to fill your teams.
What does that perfect team member look like?
•What is their energy level like?
•What skills or knowledge should they possess?
•What is their commitment to on-going learning?
•Do they come in early and stay late?
•How is their work ethic?
•Are they entrepreneurial?
•Are they driven and passionate?
•Do they possess great leadership potential?
•What is their age?
Action idea: Explore the needs of your business or department, using the questions above as a guideline and understanding the specific needs of your department or organisation. Describe the perfect team member to fill your teams. The more detail you can write into this explanation, the better the final result will be.
Explore the list of qualities, which you desire in your team and see how many of those qualities you possess yourself. The type of person you will attract and will have the greatest success inspiring and influencing is not dictated by the qualities you want to see in the members of your team, but rather by who you are and how many of those qualities you possess yourself.
As leaders we do not attract the type of people we want in our teams. We attract the type of people we are. If there are any qualities missing in you, which you feel are crucial and non-negotiable in your perfect team members. Then it is time to develop those characteristics yourself or if that is not possible, you must take strong measures to counter this.
Clichés are often filled with more truth than we imagine. I am sure you have heard the phrase “Birds of feather flock together” I have seen exactly this phenomenon manifest in my own life over the past few years. Prior to a very serious car accident, which I was involved in about 16 years ago, in which I fractured my cervical spine and lost 16 X 20 cm of the top of my head. I was driven by greed and personal financial gain. I worked 16 – 18 hours a day and found all my satisfaction in building businesses and working hard. All my friends, acquaintances and team members at the time were entrepreneurs and young successful businessmen themselves. We were identical in the way we dressed, thought and operated.
After working through a nine month recovery, during which I underwent extensive reconstructive surgery and physical rehabilitation. I woke up one day and realised that there was way more to life than what my life was demonstrating. I realised the true value of people and instead of striving to always win by walking over and overpowering everyone around me, as was the case before my near death experience. I embarked on a completely new journey in which I chose to help as many people as possible achieve their potential. My goal was to help people lives of fulfilment and meaning. I embarked on a spiritual journey of enlightenment and growth and to this day I help as many people as possible to extend themselves beyond the boundaries of their self-imposed comfort zones and help them reach a better place where they can realise their full potential.
Surprise, surprise, when I changed, so too did the people on my teams in my various businesses. The people I began to attract were very different in nature; they were more spiritual people, with flair to help others. This major shift in who I was and what I stood for has over the past few years resulted in a complete change to the makeup of all my teams in my various businesses. This major change in my life and how it has completely changed the makeup of my teams over the past 16 years is a perfect example of the fact that similar people naturally gravitate toward each other.
If there are any general traits, which you really dislike within your teams, look at yourself. Your team is more likely than not reflecting that trait directly from you. If your team is negative or constantly late for meetings or they refuse to come in early and stay late, then look at your own behaviour. Your team is more likely than not, merely reflecting who you are as their leader.
If you do not like the traits of the people you are attracting as a leader or your team is exhibiting a set of traits you do not like, what can you do about it?
Action Idea: Look at yourself and discover where those traits or behaviours are present in you. Build a plan to eliminate or improve exactly that in yourself and almost as if by magic those traits will disappear in your team.
The next challenge any great leader faces is that their teams are filled with too many people, who possess the same qualities as they possess themselves. This is where any great leader takes the next step and consciously starts recruiting people who possess strengths in areas where they possess weaknesses. You need to consciously fill your teams with as diverse group of individuals as possible. It is possible for leaders to recruit people different to themselves, but those are not the people they will naturally attract or who will naturally be attracted to them.
Andrew is an expert and master teacher that speaks and teaches self-leadership, expanded awareness, effectiveness, efficiency and productivity. He guides individuals and business professionals, to identify, prioritise and carry out the right activities, consistently, so that they can maximise their personal effectiveness and deliver their best; on time, every time. All the tools and techniques Andrew teaches; have been tested in the laboratory of his own life and the many successful businesses he has owned and led, over the past 20 years. These strategies have seen Andrew achieve financial independence and reach a point of harmonious balance in all areas of his life. His purpose is to help as many people as possible, achieve similar or better results and to show them how they can realise their full potential, both personal and professionally and to help them live a meaningful life, where they are fulfilled in all areas. http://www.andrewhorton.co.za