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Leaders on the People Development level of leadership shift their focus from the production achieved by others to the development of their potential.
And they put only 20 percent of their focus on their personal productivity while putting 80 percent of it on developing and leading others.
people need to have the conviction that there is value in their dreams, and he said that it required “the belief that you are worth the effort, time, and energy to develop yourself.”
putting people in jobs that they are not prepared for because we have not invested in their training is one mistake we are not going to make….
“When you look at people who are eager to learn more,” Blanchard remarked, “you can bet they are on the right track. And when you talk to people who just don’t want any more instruction, then they have pretty much hit the wall. They are done.”
“The test of your leadership is not what happens when you are there, but what happens when you’re not there.”
you have the potential to move up to Level 4. It will require you to shift from doing to developing.
Every developed leader adds more horsepower to the organization.
you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you off in the right direction.”
If you want to improve an organization, improve its leaders. If you want to grow an organization, grow its leaders.
You cannot become an effective Level 4 leader unless you are willing to let go of some of your responsibilities.
If someone on my team can do one of my tasks 80 percent as well as I do (or better), then I give him or her responsibility for it.
If you want to be an effective leader, you must move from perfectionist to pragmatist.
“When you become a leader you give up the right to think about yourself.” —Gerald Brooks
If you want to lead on Level 4, you need to focus 80 percent of your attention on others and helping them to grow, learn, and achieve. If your focus is always on yourself and what you want, then people become an obstacle to your goals. Their needs are seen as interfering with your goals. And you spend most of your time disappointed with others because they aren’t on your selfish agenda and are forever letting you down.
“The leader is the servant who removes the obstacles that prevent people from doing their jobs.” What a great description. That kind of Level 4 mind-set requires maturity. It means coming to work every day placing other people first in our thoughts and actions. It means asking, “Who can I add value to today?” and “What can I do for others?” That is not the mind-set of an immature leader. It is the mind-set of a People Developer.
Class on level 4 leaders
“Mistake Quota.” When he trains people, he tells students that he expects them to make thirty mistakes per training session.
On Level 4, the question isn’t “What can you do?” The question is “Who can you develop?” Investing in people takes a lot of time and energy.
the goal for my leaders is never to keep their jobs. The question to them is, “Will you lose it by developing others or will you lose it because you didn’t develop others?”
I do that is by allowing the people I mentor to request a meeting with me whenever they need it. On those occasions, they are to drive the agenda by asking specific, difficult questions. I answer them as best I can, and in return, the next time we meet, I ask that the person tell me how they applied what they learned.
If you want to become a great leader, serve the people you lead. Make their success your success.
As a Level 4 leader, you should focus 80 percent of your attention on developing the best 20 percent of the leaders you have.
“I think the most important and difficult thing is to create a culture in the organization where leadership is really important. It’s important for people in the company to realize that this is a growth-oriented company, and the biggest thing we have to grow here is you, because it’s you who will make this company better by your own growth….
Everyone can teach me something. Everything can teach me something.
Wall Poster
Openness, humility, and transparency are always very attractive. These qualities give others permission to ask questions, take risks, and be themselves. And that takes leadership development to a whole new level.
Most leaders who reach the Pinnacle do so later in their careers. But the Pinnacle level is not a resting place for leaders to stop and view their success. It is a reproducing place from which they make the greatest impact of their lives. That’s why leaders who reach the Pinnacle should make the most of it while they can. With gratitude and humility, they should lift up as many leaders as they can, tackle as many great challenges as possible, and extend their influence to make a positive difference beyond their own organization and industry.
Level 5 leaders want to do more than just run an organization well. They want to do more than succeed. They want to create a legacy.
Level 5 leaders are measured by the caliber of leaders they develop, not the caliber of their own leadership.
Level 5 leaders understand that the highest position of leadership is not a place to be served by others but to serve others. It is not a place to receive, but a place to give.
People at the start of the journey who are given a position of leadership are faced with a decision. Are they going to learn now to lead better, or are they going to rely on their position, guard their turf, and play king of the hill to maintain what they’ve got?
If you’re through learning, you’re through.
Leadership should always be about others, not about the leader.
It is not easy to develop leaders. It’s even more difficult to develop leaders who will devote themselves to developing other leaders instead of just leading.
allowing others to become dependent does little more than satisfy a leader’s ego. It is a very limiting leadership style that has a very short life span.
“The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point that they eventually surpass him or her in knowledge and ability.” —Fred A. Manske Jr.
If you want to develop people, you must help them discover and build upon their strengths. That’s where people have the most potential to grow. Helping to develop their strengths is the only way to help leaders become world-class.
As Lynne Joy McFarland asserted in the book 21st Century Leadership: Dialogue with 100 Top Leaders,
The Leader’s Perspective—Seeing Potential Leaders As They Could Be Instead of As They Are
“Who is going to replace you?”
if your gifting in leadership isn’t high, don’t lose hope. While it’s true that your leadership intuition will never be as high as that of a natural leader, you can still develop leadership intuition based on leadership experience and reflective thinking on your failures and successes.
When you develop a follower, you gain a follower. When you develop a leader, you gain a leader and all his followers. When you develop a Level 4 leader, you gain a leader who creates other leaders, and you gain all the leaders and all the followers that they lead.
Making the Most of One’s Self Be true to yourself. Make each day your masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build shelter against a rainy day. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
Mother Teresa. He often quoted her, saying, “A life not lived for others is not a life.”
“If, as a leader, you listen to them, then they’ll listen to you.” —John Wooden
Class three!
“I pray thee, O God, that I may be beautiful within.”
