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Teamwork is Hard

by Ron Potter

I’ve shared in the past that the name of my company, Team Leadership Culture, is in that order for a reason. I firmly believe that building great teams is the key to success for any enterprise. I’ve never really had anyone disagree with me on that issue.

Yes, there have been the hard-driving bosses (notice I didn’t refer to them as leaders) who tell me that “The difference between success and failure it’s about getting people to do what they’re told to do.” There’s really nothing I can say or do in those circumstances. I usually just wait and then help pick up the pieces. Believe me, great teams make the difference.

So why is it so hard and requires a continual process to build great teams?

One of the main reasons is that:

  • It takes everyone to make teams work and be great—build teamwork
  • It only takes one person to cause team failure—breakdown teamwork

The tricky part is that it’s not always the same person at any given point in time.

Sometimes the team will enter a high-risk situation. One that will require a decision when there are still a lot of moving parts or there is still a great deal of ambiguity. It might be the most risk-averse team member that causes the delay that brings about failure.

Sometimes it happens in times of great success when one person feels they didn’t get enough credit for the success or their contributions were not appreciated. This can create a smoldering resentment that will cause failure in the near future.

Successful teams are constantly “sharpening the saw.” You might recognize that statement as number seven of Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His point is that even though you build in the other 6 habits, you need to constantly sharpen the saw. You need to constantly review your effectiveness then learn, grow, and get better. Teams need to do the same.

Truth

Teams need to speak the truth to each other. This attribute falls away quickly by the error of omission. Not saying something when something needs saying.

Respect

Teams need to hold each other in high regard. This disappears almost instantly when someone feels slighted or under-appreciated.

Elegance

Teams need to constantly work the friction out of the systems. As soon as the lack of clarity or ambiguity creeps into the system, friction is created.

Commitment

Teams need to reach unity and reinforce commitment. Without either you haven’t really accomplished team!

Teamwork is hard, but teams are the most important aspect of success. Work hard and constantly on building team.

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BlogTrust Me

Leading Others By Putting Them First – Part II

by Ron Potter

The “you-first” leader is the man or woman whose focus is on responding to the needs of employees, customers, and community before his or her own needs. Last week, we discussed the first three characteristics that help put those you lead first. This week we’ll continue with the last three.

Empathy

This is identifying with and understanding another’s situation, feelings, and motives. People need to know they are accepted and recognized for their special gifts and talents.

John was the head of a large entertainment company. He was concerned about everything but his employees and their needs. He lacked many of the qualifications of a great leader, but one of his most glaring deficiencies was empathy. Whenever an employee (executive, manager, or worker) expressed some personal problem or work-related difficulty, John would immediately take that as a cue to either go into his own personal problems or tell the employee, manager, or executive how deficient the person was in his or her job. John made a lot of money, so most employees could not imagine that he could have any of the same problems they experienced. That didn’t matter to John. He just went right into his monologue. Over time, he lost all of his good employees and leaders. The company, now a shadow of its former self, is simply “getting by.”

Healing

One of the greatest characteristics of a “you-first” leader is the ability to approach another person as a healer in a spirit of help and compassion.

When she first came to work, Diana was hardly a candidate for employee of the year. In fact, because she had made some terrible choices as a teenager, she was in pain and carrying a load of personal baggage. But the “you-first” manager she reported to sensed that beyond Diana’s broken spirit was a person loaded with raw talent and drive. But first some negatives needed attention. Diana had gaps in her formal training. So the manager worked with Diana on a plan to bring her to a place of peak performance. As she experienced some modest success early on and began getting rid of self-doubts and limiting habits, Diana blossomed. Soon her progress was exponential. Her manager tailored a bonus plan for Diana. She did so well that she outran the plan, creating a financial strain on the manager’s budget!

To this day Diana continues to thrive in both her professional and personal life. All of that started with a manager who could look beyond his own needs and place another person first. His commitment to healing opened the door for Diana to walk through and enjoy her job and her life.

Persuasion over power

Many times when a job is hard to do, poor leaders rely on sheer power rather than persuasion. The compassionate leader seeks to engage others rather than force compliance. There’s a desire to build consensus rather than use authoritarian power. Jesus told compelling stories called parables to help people see that what he was saying was not only different but also better for them. His disciples were confused. Why didn’t he just use his power and “force” people to believe? Jesus knew that he was much better off helping people understand through non-coercive means. With their consensus came the real power to accomplish something great. Power trips and plays deflate people and do not allow them to think for themselves.

This list of six characteristics of a “you-first” leader is by no means exhaustive, but each quality is fundamental if you want compassion to be a key component of your leadership style.

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BlogCulture

NEXT

by Ron Potter

What will you do next? This one question may be the key to success.

Our lives are filled with events. This list is long and complex, especially when you add personal experiences, but I’ll just stick with corporate issues in this blog post.

Events can include issues such as:

  • A competitor surprises you with a new product or strategy in the marketplace.
  • A disruptive new technology catches you off guard.
  • You fail at an assignment.
  • A teammate seems to be cutting you down behind your back.
  • Your boss seems to be showing favorites on the team.
  • You just experienced great corporate, team or personal success.

As you can see these events can range from outside your control, to personal experiences, failures, successes and everything in between.

With each of these, we will experience emotions. These emotions will vary as wildly at the events themselves and range from good to bad. We may experience:

  • A desire to retaliate.
  • Feelings of failure.
  • Wanting to react immediately.
  • Being a victim.

Again, our reaction, emotions, and immediate feelings will be all over the board. They’re natural and they will happen. Don’t assume that “as an adult” you should keep your emotions under control and feel bad about your reactions. They’re human. They will happen.

But, what you do next will determine your success or failure now and throughout life. Having the initial reaction is involuntary. What you do next is a choice.

If you’re part of a team or maybe even the team leader, you should intentionally talk about what you do next to deal with the issue.

If you’re dealing with a failure:

  • don’t stick your head in the sand
  • don’t ignore the truth
  • don’t hang on to some false or out of date view of the world
  • don’t write it off as bad luck

If you’re dealing with success:

  • Don’t let it go to your head
  • Don’t assume you’ve got everything figured out
  • Don’t assume your success will last more than a day
  • Don’t stop figuring out how to get better every day

Whatever the circumstances, figure out what to do next.

Great individuals and teams are constantly learning and growing. They’re figuring out what to do next.

Enjoy your success. Mourn your failures. But in all circumstances constantly be asking “What should we (I) being doing next?”

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BlogTrust Me

Leading Others By Putting Them First – Part I

by Ron Potter

Are you a you-first leader? One way to find out is by asking the following questions:

Do others grow as individuals under your leadership? While benefiting from your compassion, do others become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely themselves to develop a “you-first” attitude?

If you’re unsure, developing a few characteristics may bring about the fruit of you-first leadership on your team.

Commitment to the growth of people

In their book The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner write, “Any leadership practice that increases another’s sense of self-confidence, self-determination, and personal effectiveness makes that person more powerful and greatly enhances the possibility of success.”

A commitment to growing people is not a temporary fix, a quick solution to a problem, or a short-term shot in the arm that helps them only today. Commitment to growth is a long-term investment in other people. It increases their opportunities to grow, learn, and use what they have learned to its greatest benefit. When their growth multiplies, the organization’s growth and maturity multiplies.

Listening

What made a difference for me was when I finally grasped the concept of listening with the intent to understand. I had always listened with the intent to respond. The entire time I was listening, my mind was developing responses, recording counterpoints, cataloging quick points that I was sure the other person would find helpful when I responded. Listening with the intent to respond is not compassionate. It is not humble. It’s self-focused. Listening with the intent to understand is indeed focused on the other person.

As I work with leaders and spend time listening with the intent to understand, I’m amazed at how much they are willing to share with me when they know I fully intend not to just hear them but also to understand.

Awareness

Both self-awareness and general awareness direct leaders to better understand situations and people. Robert Greenleaf wrote,

Awareness is not a giver of solace—it is just the opposite. It is a disturber and an awakener. Able leaders are usually sharply awake and reasonably disturbed. They are not seekers after solace. They have their own inner serenity.

Awareness helps leaders discern how to properly put others first.

 

These first three. qualities of a you-first leader will certainly build up your team and create an others-focused team. Next week, we’ll discuss the next three qualities.

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BlogTeam

I Wouldn’t Have

by Ron Potter

“I wouldn’t have done it that way!” These are very easy words to express but what do they really mean? Most people who use these words, or some such sentiment, will tell you:

  • They’re only trying to help
  • They’re helping the person learn
  • They want the other person to see things from a different perspective.

Those are all great reasons, but, do the words “I wouldn’t have done it that way” express those positive intentions? I don’t think so.

To me those words:

  • Assign blame
  • Shift accountability
  • Feed the ego and superiority attitudes

Using these words could also be considered a cheap shot or a cowardly statement.

Lots of factors need to be considered when decisions are made. When a person is not present and engaged in the decision-making process they:

  • Don’t know the circumstances
  • Aren’t aware of the dilemma’s the decision maker faced
  • Are looking at the decision from the perspective of hindsight

The more impactful decisions are very difficult to make. If you weren’t there as part of the decision-making process, don’t second guess.
What if your intention is to truly help? Help the person think through their decision-making process. Help them learn. Don’t second guess.

You may want to try things like:

  • What has changed since the decision was made?
  • Were there other perspectives that might have been useful at the time?
  • Was input received from relevant sources?
  • Was there pressure to make any decision at the time?

The answer to these and other questions may lead to a better decision-making process in the future. Or, the conclusion may be that the best decision was made at the time. Use these learning efforts to reinforce the decision maker. Support them. Help them grow.

Don’t second guess. It’s not useful.

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BlogTrust Me

Compassion is Not Cheap

by Ron Potter

Compassion is not easy or cheap. A leader who sincerely seeks to understand and care for others will pay a price. But the rewards are satisfying and great.

I want to examine compassion from the perspective of a “you-first” leader—the man or woman whose focus is on responding to the needs of employees, customers, and community before his or her own needs.

I urge you to be a person and leader known for radical acts of compassion. Here’s an incredible example:

It was 1944, and Bert Frizen was an infantryman on the front lines in Europe. American forces had advanced in the face of intermittent shelling and small-arms fire throughout the morning hours, but now all was quiet. His patrol reached the edge of a wooded area with an open field before them. Unknown to the Americans, a battery of Germans waited in a hedgerow about two hundred yards across the field.
Bert was one of two scouts who moved out into the clearing. Once he was halfway across the field, the remainder of his battalion followed. Suddenly, the Germans opened fire, and machine gun fire ripped into both of Bert’s legs. The American battalion withdrew into the woods for protection, while a rapid exchange of fire continued.
Bert lay helplessly in a small stream as shots volleyed overhead. There seemed to be no way out. To make matters worse, he now noticed that a German soldier was crawling toward him. Death appeared imminent; he closed his eyes and waited. To his surprise, a considerable period passed without the expected attack, so he ventured opening his eyes again. He was startled to see the German kneeling at his side, smiling. He then noticed that the shooting had stopped. Troops from both sides of the battlefield watched anxiously. Without any verbal exchange, this mysterious German reached down to lift Bert in his arms and proceeded to carry him to the safety of Bert’s comrades.
Having accomplished his self-appointed mission, and still without speaking a word, the German soldier turned and walked back across the field to his own troop. No one dared break the silence of this sacred moment. Moments later the cease-fire ended, but not before all those present had witnessed how one man risked everything for his enemy.

How would your business, your family, your community—our world—be better if more of these radical acts of compassion occurred on a daily basis?


We can respond with compassion to every person we encounter by thinking “you-first.” Jesus constantly demonstrated this approach with his team of disciples. Perhaps the most memorable example occurred shortly before his death when he got down on his knees and washed their feet. In this humbling act he demonstrated to them that even as their leader he desired to serve them. He wanted them to understand that in his view—the ultimate leader—the needs of others came first.


An entire, well-established management perspective has evolved from this concept of service to others. Robert K. Greenleaf first used the term servant leadership in a 1970 essay.


This is a very counterintuitive notion in my day when competition is fierce in nearly every area of life. You can’t “look out for number 1” and say “you-first” at the same time. To be a “you-first” leader feels like it costs at first, but is far valuable in the long run.

So then how do we learn to put others first?

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BlogLeadership

Circle of Influence – Part II

by Ron Potter

I was a little surprised by the number of comments and feedback I received recently about the Circle of Influence post.

The point was to be perfectly clear about the part of the organization you can influence versus those you can’t influence even though you may have concern for what’s happening or not happening “over there.”

Wisdom is knowing the difference and acting accordingly.

How should our behavior differ when we’re in a position of influence vs areas where we can only express concern?

Before we delve into the different behaviors, let’s look at one more circle.  Our circle of control.

If we think of three concentric circles, the outer circle would be labeled Concern, the next inner, smaller circle would be labeled Influence and the smallest circle at the center would be labeled Control.

Circle of Control

Note that this is described as the smallest circle of the three.  Our control circle is much smaller than we think and should be used so sparingly that people are almost shocked if it’s used at all.  Great leaders don’t control, great leaders influence.  As a kid, I always vowed that I would never use the phrase “Because I said so” when I became a parent.  My daughters will tell you that I didn’t stick to that vow.  But even as a kid, knowing a parent has ultimate authority, we still don’t like being told to do something simply because power and control are held by the other person.  We don’t like it as an adult either.  Just like there were moments when our parents needed to play the control card, there are also moments that we need to play the same card as a leader.  But with each playing of the card, your actual influence diminishes.  Play that card only in critical situations.

Circle of Influence

This is the circle where most leaders and team members should be found.  Influence is defined by “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.”  Notice when someone is having a positive effect on your Character, Development or Behavior.  It takes a great deal of trust, respect and caring.  Without trust, respect and caring, we have no ability to influence.  This is where the best leaders live.  The best leaders are influencers.

Circle of Concern

This is a legitimate area in our corporate lives.  We should indeed have concern for the entire organization and its success.  But, if we treat it like a Circle of Influence rather than expressing our “concern” we can create havoc in the organization.  Crossing this boundary between influence and concern causes some of the most disruptions I’ve seen in organizations.

I even worked with one CEO who seemed to use the lack of clarity about these boundaries to push his will on the organization.  Causing great destruction along the way.

This was a large company and therefore had Executive-VP’s which made up the Leadership Team around the CEO and then many VP’s below these EVP’s who were responsible for the various departments.  There was one strong point of disagreement between two of the EVP’s.  The CEO who was a tough, hard-charging type assumed that the two EVP’s would battle it out until someone won the argument.  He believed in the survival of the strongest.  But, rather than fighting it out and coming to a conclusion, these two EVP’s decided to “agree to disagree” and never solved the issue.  They simply never talked about it or dealt with it.

While the CEO was unwilling to push the issue at his Leadership Team level, he went one level down and talked to the VP who had the reputation of getting things done.  He seemed to give his full authority to this VP so this VP charged ahead.  Unfortunately, he quickly ran up against the “agree to disagree” level and neither EVP would budge.  I was working closely with this and became aware that the VP was considering leaving the company because of the inability to push forward with what the CEO was “demanding.”  Then I shared the Circle of Influence/Concern concept. 

The VP soon understood that this was a no-win situation and was personally frustrated enough to go back to the CEO and place the issue back in his lap to solve at his leadership team level.  That took nerve but it also produced clarity and eventually results.

Make sure you’re fighting battles that can be won.  If you’re trying to win battles in your area of concern, you’re destined to fail.

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BlogCulture

Rocky: Steps Vs. Success

by Ron Potter

If you’ve ever seen the old movie Rocky you probably remember him climbing the steps of the Art Museum in Philadelphia to finish with a very powerful victory stance.  It’s a very moving scene with very powerful music.  What we remember is the success.

But, did you know that Rocky climbed 72 steps after running 30.6 miles?

Heidi Grant Halvorson in her book Nine Things Successful People Do Differently says, “Don’t visualize success, visualize the steps you will take in order to make success happen.”

Let me come at this issue from two different sides.  One side is what I call “Dave the Dreamer” and the other side is called “It’s easy for you.”

Dave the Dreamer

I have a friend, I’ll call him Dave the Dreamer.  Dave is one of the most advanced technical minds that I know.  When Dave is talking about technical issues, I feel like I’m barely hanging on by my fingernails.  I sort of grasp the concepts, but I don’t really understand the details (which he spends a great deal of time talking about). 

Dave really is a friend and I do enjoy being around him and listening to these incredible stories.  But Dave is a dreamer.  He always assumes that the next big thing is going to happen to him.  He visualizes the success.

With each new story and concept, I think (and say to him), “Dave, that’s fantastic.  Go for it.  Create it.  Get it into the world.  And Dave is sure it’s going to happen because he knows the “right people” and the concept just can’t fail.  Dave visualizes the success.

The next time I talk with Dave, it’s all about the next new thing.  What happened to the last idea I ask. 

  • Oh, it ran into a snag. 
  • We couldn’t come up with the funding.
  • Someone didn’t follow through on their promise.
  • This idea is so much bigger and better

Dave never visualized the steps that it was going to take to get there.  He only visualized the success. 

Success is fun.  Steps are hard.  Success is at the end of a straight line.  Steps are long and winding roads.  Success exists in your mind.  Steps are real, hard and filled with setbacks.

It’s easy for you

I also see the other side of this story.  Those who have visualized the steps.  They faced each step and each setback.  They overcame difficult issues, failed, got up and tried again.  When they experience success, the crowd looks at them and often says. 

  • It was easy for you. 
  • You were smarter. 
  • You had a better opportunity. 
  • You were in the right place at the right time. 

This reflects the crowd’s belief in visualizing success rather than visualizing the steps. Visualize the steps.  They’re difficult.  They are not stable.  They’ll shift with time and circumstances.  They’re long and arduous.  But keep going.  The success that others only visualize is much more enjoyable after you’ve climbed the steps.

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BlogCulture

Intransigent

by Ron Potter

The opposite of humility is not ego.

The opposite of humility is intransigence.

Ego is always driven by fear. It’s our need to:

  • Win
  • Achieve
  • Be seen as the best

When we have our fear of falling short, our ego tends to get in the way.

But the opposite of humility is intransigent. I’m probably not going to use that word very much, because I can barely pronounce it, but it’s an interesting word. It means

An unwillingness, or refusing, to change one’s views or to agree.

It’s not necessarily ego where you’re trying to defend a point of view or defend your fear of failure, or your lack of recognition, it’s a conscious unwillingness and refusing to change your mind.

  • It’s an unwillingness.
  • It’s a determined refusal to change your view.

In our business world, we see this happen often, but it’s never quite as blatant as it looks. Occasionally, I’ll hear someone on a leadership team saying, “I don’t care what you say. I’m not going to agree with that approach.”

That makes my job and the job of the leader much more difficult when you have someone express that level of stubbornness. In an earlier blog, we talked about Winston Churchill’s humility. He was an incredibly stubborn man, but he would be open to listening to other people and trying to understand their point of view.

The intransigent person is not open. They are not open to understanding. That is not their goal. If you have an intransigent person on your team, I would highly recommend that you find them someplace else to work, someplace else in the organization, maybe in another organization.

Always be very careful not to act too quickly. You should make every effort to grow and develop and help that person change along the way, but if they are truly intransigent, you are not going to reach agreement. You are not going to reach unity. You are not going to move your organization forward without tremendous friction.

The cost of tolerating intransigent at the cost of unity is too high.

As a side note, I’ve talked about the word “tolerant” in previous blogs. I’m not in favor of being tolerant. To start with, the definition means the measure of poison you can ingest before you experience negative effects. Secondly, when people say you should be tolerant, they’re really saying that if you don’t agree with them, they won’t tolerate you. In the usage above, I have used the word as it’s intended. The cost of tolerating intransigent, the poisonous effects of allowing intransigent behavior to exist is too costly.

Be humble, don’t be intransigent. That’s the key.

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BlogTrust Me

What Does Spontaneous Compassion Look Like?

by Ron Potter

We recently discussed that compassion can involve challenging others to attain high-quality results on projects that stretch them. Compassion is also a compelling conviction to care enough to become involved and help others by taking some action that will improve their lives or set them on a fresh course. Effective leaders act spontaneously with a true heart of compassion, caring for the person regardless of the consequences.

So what does that look like?

I observed a great instance of this very thing with a client. I was preparing for a webcast. While setting up the presentation, the IT expert helping set up the equipment and handling the technical details received a telephone call from one of his employees who was troubleshooting at another location. I learned that this employee was working on a crisis situation of great importance to her company.

Hearing just half of his conversation, I picked up that she was reporting on her progress in solving the problem. Later, when my technical helper gave me the details of the conversation, I learned that almost in passing she mentioned, “I have to check on my father. I think he had a heart attack or stroke or something.”

The man interrupted the conversation right then and said bluntly, “You need to go to your father.” He didn’t even ask, “Do you need to go to your father?” He just said, “You need to go to your father.”

The employee protested, “No, I’m not going to go until this is fixed.” Her boss just kept saying, “Get off the phone, get on a plane, and go to your father.”

I knew that this man might get into trouble for making that kind of decision; his employee was trying to solve a serious problem. But he insisted, and she went home.

I reached several conclusions from this leader’s act of spontaneous compassion: First, this woman will be one of his most loyal and productive employees from now on. Second, he did the right thing even though painful consequences might follow. A trusted leader acts like that. Finally, he showed a true heart of compassion. He decided to care for the person. In that moment when he had to make a choice, he understood and responded to the needs of the person, not just a valued cog in the company machine.

That’s what compassion is all about.

Heart of Compassion quote
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BlogLeadership

Circle of Influence – Part I

by Ron Potter

Have you ever heard the Serenity Prayer? It goes like this:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Keep that prayer in mind as we talk about something called the Circle of Influence.

I’ve seen this concept put forth in several areas. I believe one of them was in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People written by Stephen Covey. You have two concentric circles, the smaller inner circle can be labeled, “influence.” The larger outer circle can be labeled, “concern.”

The point is to be very clear about the areas of an organization you can influence versus the areas of an organization that you have concern for.

Your concern may be very well placed. It may be a concern for

  • The overall growth and development of the company
  • Future opportunities
  • The obstacle that you face
  • The competence of people making decisions in other parts of the company

Having a true concern for the greater whole is a wonderful thing. However, you need to be very clear about the areas that you influence versus the areas in which you may have a concern.

The purpose of the Circle of Influence is to be clear where you have genuine influence and where you can only express concern. Don’t believe that you can influence your area of concern.

Trying to influence your area of concern often leads to disastrous results and increases the stress within organizations. Many of the leaders I work with express a genuine concern for other pieces of the organization, good or bad. However, when they believe their concern justifies their

  • Engagement
  • Meddling
  • Hands-on involvement
  • planting that ideas that those people over there just aren’t performing well.

they have now tried to move their influence into their circle of concern.

Go back to the serenity prayer. The last line of says, “Give me the wisdom to know the difference.”

It’s one thing to be smart. It’s a very different thing to be wise. It’s good to be concerned for the company and its success, but you can only influence your circle of influence. Trying to influence, control, exert power over your area of concern will only lead to bad results.

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BlogCaring in ActionTrust Me

Caring in Action: Challenge

by Ron Potter

Caring becomes real to another person only when some action occurs. I believe that communication, confrontation, and challenge are three of the best ways a leader puts “feet” to true caring.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve unpacked each of these aspects of caring and will conclude this week with challenge.

Challenge

An often overlooked aspect of compassion is the desire to help a person grow. Compassion includes challenging others to attain high-quality results on projects that stretch them. People need challenge in their lives, and leaders need to help their employees see the value of it not only for their own well-being but for the well-being of the organization as well.

This concept often reminds me of a story my co-writer Wayne would tell. Some years ago, he was asked to tackle an impossible task. He assumed leadership for a company division that had underperformed for several years. He inherited a group of salespeople whose only motivation was retirement. In addition, the division was overstocked with wrong inventory, and customer complaints were stacked high.

He rolled up my sleeves and began working to pull the department together. The first goal was the sales team. Together they worked out some new incentive programs and some additional benefits if sales quotas were met. Then they turned our attention to the customers, and, one by one, they solved their problems, creating a renewed commitment to service within the division. Next came sales and marketing strategies. With the team’s help, they launched a new marketing campaign that began to increase sales. They aggressively sold off the old inventory and partnered with a supplier to provide them with fresh stock from his facility. They were on a roll!

In three months sales and profits were up, and the crew (all but one stayed with the program) was happy and productive.

One day Wayne’s boss put his arm around his shoulders and asked him if he was aware that he had accomplished what many thought was impossible. His boss asked him what he had learned from the experience and told Wayne, “I’m sorry for all the extra work the last few months. I hope you understand—I did this to help you grow into a better manager.”

This man challenged Wayne to be better. His desire was to help him grow by throwing him into the middle of an almost impossible situation. Sure, the company prospered, but his goal also included Wayne’s personal growth and development.

How have you been challenged to grow? How might you challenge those who report to you to grow?

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