2.Trust
Trust people. Sure, I know you’ve been burned before. Join the line.
I’m not talking about blind trust, but I am talking about trusting people when they’ve shown even an inkling of character, skill and aptitude. Most people want to be believed in. You do.
And when you trust leaders, the best ones will rise to the occasion. They might even rise beyond it. And the others, well, you can deal with that when it happens. In the meantime, don’t punish the good people because you’ve run into a few bad ones.
Make trust, not suspicion, your default.
3.Respect
When your talent or contribution is not respected or valued, it’s hard to want to stay. So respect the leaders you lead.
Give them your time, your attention, your ear, your heart and your gratitude. Men, in particular, crave respect.
4. Challenge
This one’s a bit counter-intuitive, but make sure you have high expectations of the people you lead. Challenge them! Higher standards motivate people. It calls out their best.
Very few high-capacity leaders want to give their lives to something uninspiring or insignificant. High expectations usually yield higher returns.
5. Empower
Give them something significant to do. As my friend Reggie Joiner says, people will not believe they are significant until you give them something significant to do. So empower them. Give them something real. If you only have small tasks, you will attract small leaders.
But if you start to give away significant tasks and authority, you will attract the best and brightest leaders.
People gravitate to where they are valued most.
If you value them, guess where they’ll likely hang out?
