There are many ways to help people to develop. One approach is to be positive, predictable and, when appropriate, help people to perform superbly.
Imagine that you want to follow elements of this approach. You may want to do this as an individual, educator, coach, leader or in another role. This can involve focusing on the following themes.
Positive
Good leaders, for example, often go beyond being positive. They aim to create a positive environment in which motivated people can do their best work.
Poor leaders often do the opposite. They often create a negative environment in which people may feel afraid. This does not help them to grow.
Parents, teachers, mentors and other professionals also aim to create a positive environment. They recognise that people are more likely to develop if they feel at ease and able to explore.
Let’s look at two examples regarding positive and negative leadership. These are based on a real situation that I saw when working with a particular organisation.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Can you think of a specific situation where you want to create a positive environment in which people can develop? You may want to do this as a parent, friend or in a professional role.
On a scale 0-10, how would you rate yourself in terms of creating a positive environment in this situation? What could you do to maintain or improve the rating?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
Predictable
Good leaders are predictable. They explain the principles they believe in following and they aim to be consistent. People know where they stand and this creates a platform that enables them to achieve success.
Such leaders behave well in a crisis. They are good at explaining challenging situations and the possible solutions. People see them as truthful and also sometimes inspiring.
Poor leaders often do the opposite. They may sometimes behave in negative and unpredictable ways. Some are almost bipolar and swing from one extreme mood to another.
Such leaders are predictable in the sense that they are going to be unpredictable. Whilst people know this, the unpredictability can cause confusion and collateral damage.
Parents, teachers, mentors and other professionals may also aim to be positive and predictable. They recognise that people are more likely to feel safe and develop in a relatively predictable environment.
Let’s return to the two leaders described earlier. Here is how they behaved in the particular organisation.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Can you think of a specific situation where you want to behave in a positive and predictable way? You may want to do this as a parent, friend or in a professional role.
On a scale 0-10, how would you rate yourself in terms of being positive and predictable in this situation? What could you do to maintain or improve the rating?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
Performing Superbly
Good leaders keep reminding people of the purpose and principles. They then do their best to enable people to perform superbly. Some leaders take the following approach.
They communicate the organisation’s picture of success;
They make clear contracts with people about their best contributions towards achieving the picture of success;
They manage by outcomes, provide the required support and enable people to do superb work on the way towards achieving the picture of success.
Poor leaders often do the opposite. They micromanage people, keep pointing out their shortcomings and, if things don’t work out, blame other people for not achieving the goals.
Parents, teachers, mentors and other professionals may also create a positive environment. When appropriate, they may also encourage individuals to develop and become they best they can be.
They may provide practical support that a person can use: a) to build on their strengths; b) to set their own specific goals; c) to do their best to achieve their picture of success.
There are many ways to help people to develop. One approach is to be positive, predictable and help people to perform superbly. Different people will do this in different ways.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Can you think of a situation where you may want to help people – a person or a group of people – to perform superbly?
On a scale 0-10, how would you rate yourself in terms of helping them to perform superbly in this situation? What could you do to maintain or improve the rating?
If you wish, try tackling the final exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
Leave a Reply