Leadership Tip of the Week

Listen for what is missing!

When people don’t live up to their word or they don’t deliver their commitments typically one of two things are missing:

Either they are not sincere about their commitment or they lack the competency to deliver it.

How would you know?

When people are not sincere they don’t bring enough energy and passion to the game. They don’t even try or work hard enough. They don’t do what it takes. They give up or get discouraged too quickly. They resort to excuses and justifications too quickly.

When they are not competent they genuinely try, but they keep missing the mark and failing. Sometimes it feels like “They just don’t get it”.  People typically fail either because they are not doing the right things or they are not doing things effectively.

The support and coaching for these two issues are different.

If people lack sincerity, you want to help them determine if they are really committed to the game and outcomes. This is not about “Do they have a plan?”, this is about “Are they all in?“. If they are not in, you should encourage them to do something else.

If they ARE all in – you could encourage them to elevate their energy, intentionality, and urgency. Sometimes they may even need to “fake it ’til they make it”, box themselves in, do what they say – even if it feels robotic or contrived. If you see a change in energy and attitude, you know that there is a change in sincerity.

If people lack a/the competency they need to gain or develop it. Their initiative, task or objective may take longer to achieve than expected. They may need to bring in help and support. And, they most definitely will need to work harder, at least for a while. And, sometimes, as harsh as it may sound, you simply need to bring in someone else who does have the necessary competency.