We’re continuing our 12-week series to accelerate your career.
For those who missed the previous editions, find them here:
Part 1: Start with the end in mind
Part 2: Active listening
This week, we focus on a powerful leadership principle: seeing the potential in others.
How to Develop Your Employees’ Potential: The Ultimate Guide for Leaders
You only get a third of your teams’ capabilities.
According to Gallup, 69% of employees are not engaged.
As leaders, we have an important role to play:
“Managers are responsible for 70% of the variation in employee engagement within teams” (Gallup).
And when we play it, we make a huge difference:
“Companies with highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability than their competitors.” (Gallup)
Imagine, your whole team giving their all.
What results would you get?
A Solution: See and Develop Your Employees’ Potential
As Stephen R. Covey said, “Leadership is communicating value and potential to people so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.”
Here are 5 ways to develop your employees’ potential
1/ Help them paint THEIR Vision
Caught up in the whirlwind, they no longer take the time to paint their big picture. Help them.
Imagine the future
Imagine if we were having this discussion in 3 years. Your last three years have been your best professional years, what happened? What did you achieve? What job do you have?
Let’s go back to now.
To move faster towards your ideal:
- What habits and behaviors do you need to change or stop?
- What opportunities do you need to seize?
- What strengths can you rely on?
Action
- Now that your big picture is clear, what’s the first project you want to focus on?
2/ Provide targeted feedback:
Now you know what they want to do.
Take every opportunity to remind them. Don’t rely on goodwill. Create a system.
Connect their daily activities to their big pictures.
System example
- Capture information on the fly : During a meeting, note “Florence successfully connected her project to the company’s objectives. She gained influence with stakeholders.”
- Vary your feedback:
- At the end of the meeting: a word with Florence
- No time: write a card and leave it on her desk
- Working from home: send a message in “Teams”
- Block off 30 minutes once a week: to send your personal feedback based on your observations to your teams.
3/ Delegate with intention:
Make a link between the projects you delegate and your employee’s big picture. Push them out of their comfort zones. Remind them “what’s in it for THEM in this project”.
“I’m entrusting you with this project, it will expose you to senior management, which aligns with your goal of moving into a management position.”
4/ Be honest and constructive:
You frequently tell them what they do well.
It’s also your role to tell them what they could improve to achieve what they want. And don’t just rely on your feedback. Their rapid growth depends on how they are perceived by their stakeholders.
Organize a feedback/suggestions factory with your teams
- Do a 360° that includes their main stakeholders
- Identify areas for improvement
- Help them choose an area for improvement that supports their ideal
- Help them define a quarterly development objective on this point
- Offer them a professional coach…
5/ Fight for them when they’re not there:
You know their ideal, you observe their progress. Seize every opportunity to communicate it to the stakeholders.
- Actively promote their contributions.
- Encourage stakeholders to seek out their expertise.
- “I’ve noticed Florence’s expertise in data analysis. I recommend that you involve her in this project.”
- Highlight their potential during performance reviews.
- Support their quest for promotion.
Take action today
We don’t have a problem understanding these principles. We have a problem applying them. And it’s often linked to what we think is a lack of time.
This principle is “not urgent but important”.
The more you develop it, the more you engage your teams.
Set aside 30 minutes a week and start the process.
Your turn:
- Identify the potential: Choose someone.
- Communicate: Express your confidence in their abilities.
- Start the process: Apply one or more of the strategies.
This week, make a conscious effort to see the potential in others and help them see it in themselves.
I look forward to hearing about your progress.
See you soon.
Dror (Say hello on Linkedin)
Want a high-resolution PDF of my best infographics? Click here
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In the same series :
- Part I: How to apply “Start with the End in Mind” to accelerate your career: A 12-week guide
- Part Two: Active listening: the key skill for accelerating your career advancement (and how to develop it)
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PS: Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 more ways I can help you accelerate your growth through coaching:
You lead a team: you know that a small improvement in your leadership can have a huge impact on the team’s results and, consequently, on your career. I was trained and certified by the world’s first executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith. I accompany you in your project and guarantee the result. You only pay me if you succeed. Would you like to find out more? Contact me and let’s see if we can work together.
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