Are You in the 10 Percent?
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer
Last month I heard a teaching from John Maxwell that really got me thinking. John stated that only 10 percent of leaders lead leaders, and the rest just lead followers. I suppose the obvious question is, what is wrong with only leading followers? Well, if your plan is to be average and achieve average results, then nothing’s wrong with that. But if your plan is to achieve significant results and have greater impact on your company or organization, you need to lead leaders. When you lead leaders who lead others, you have a team that is ready to achieve greatness.
To become a leader that other leaders want to follow, you need to up your game. Leaders will only follow leaders who are stronger than they are. They won’t stay in an organization with weak leadership because a fire is burning within them to achieve meaningful things. Here are three questions you need to ask yourself if you want to lead leaders:
- Am I Growing? As you reflect on the last several months, where do you see growth? What skills or experience do you have going into the Fall that you didn’t have last year?
- Do I Have a Vision? Your team wants to know where you are heading. Do you have a vision for an improved state? This works in any type of organization, from manufacturing to faith-based organizations. If we are not improving, we are regressing.
- Am I Passionate? Are you excited about your life? Not just your work, but your life? Are you living an Intentional Life? If you aren’t excited about what is happening, why should your team be excited? As head coach of the USA Olympic Basketball team, Mike Krzyzewski knew he needed to change things up. The USA Basketball team had gone from gold medalists to 6th in the world, and it was his job to turn it around. He started by taking his team to West Point, where they saw America’s finest training to defend our shores. Then, he took them to Arlington Cemetery to see the graves of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. He took a group of men used to having their own names on the backs of their jerseys and created a team that was proud to have USA on the front of their jerseys. Coach K created Feel It moments for his team, and USA Basketball has never looked back. Gold medal after gold medal, they played for their country and the men and women who fought to defend it.
Since you’re still reading, you must be interested in becoming part of the top 10 percent. I’m glad you’re still with me because much work needs to be done as we work together to change our world. Here are three truths that those we are leading need to believe when they think of us.
- I Value You. Our team members need to know that we value them for who they are and what they bring to our team. This moves beyond appreciation to articulating often the value they bring. Sharing with them that you view it as a privilege to engage with them daily.
- I Need You. Valuing them is wonderful, but do they know that you really need them? Do we tell them privately and publicly how much they help us? I read a book once where someone wrote that John Maxwell arrives early for meetings to thank each person for something they did that made his life better since the last meeting. I have noticed that he finds moments in his teachings to call out people by name and thank them for things they have done to help him.
- I Want the Very Best for You. I make this statement frequently in my leadership classes: Leadership is never about you; it’s always about the other person. Do the people you lead know that your goal is to help them achieve the life they dream of? Do you even know what they dream of? When we know our team members’ hopes, dreams and beliefs, and they realize that we want them to live out that potential, they will know we want the very best for them. This also means that we will have high expectations for them and that, at times, we will push them out of their comfort zone.
I wish I had more time to explain leading in the top 10 percent, but I have already gone a bit long. If you want to hear more about this, please join Marisa Norcross and me for episode 9 of the Navigating Leadership Podcast where we discuss several additional points. The episode will be released on September 11th.
Download the Navigating Leadership Podcast Here: Apple Podcasts | PodBean