5 Essential Elements of Raising Up Leadership

 
On top of a great product, good leadership has always been a necessity in any successful organization throughout history. But what do people want in a leader? It simply boils down to the fact that they want to work for someone they can trust and follow. They want to be challenged to hone their current skills while developing new ones. 
 
In the last 3 years, I’ve spent a lot of time building different teams and helping develop leaders both in the professional and volunteer spaces. I’ve observed 5 elements that are essential in creating a vibrant growing team of leaders.
 

1) Let them take the reins (a little bit at a time)

If the amount of work is uneven, then nothing is scalable. You cannot possibly do it all by yourself, and if you try, your group will never grow. But if you let them run with everything, you may be setting them up for failure. If they fail on a big project, it could be devastating and leave deep scars. Instead, as you lead the group, let them take over slowly. Assign a small project to work on and guide them through it. When they are successful you can give them more. Don’t be afraid to give them a little more than you think they can handle. You’ll be surprised at how people are able to rise to the occasion.
 
The progression should look something like this: 
  1. Come up with ideas and give them the directions to execute. 
  2. Give them ideas and let them run with it.
  3. Allow them to come up with ideas of what they want to do as you guide them on how to execute.
  4. Advise them as they run an entire operation from start to finish.

 

2) Allow them to make mistakes

When there's a project that needs to be planned and executed, you should know what areas require absolute precision and what areas can allow for more leeway. In areas of less restriction, give your team the freedom to think for themselves. You can give them high level ideas to guide them, but let them process, plan and execute on their own. After the process, make sure to have some sort of post-mortem time where they can discuss what went well and what can be improved. 
 

3) Be tough

Whether your leaders come in as paid or volunteer positions, there should always be a set standard that both parties agree upon at the beginning of the relationship. This is a standard by which you keep your team accountable if or when they miss the mark. Continually remind them of the goal and vision that your team is striving for and how they need to be able to keep their commitment to see it fulfilled. Being tough in the right situation will help them to stay focused while weeding out those who are not serious about the group's vision.
 

4) Be forgiving

Hopefully, your standards are high. You want to set a bar that is hard but not impossible to reach. Growth is more important than perfection. If you set a high bar, you have to give your leaders the time and space to reach it. This means second, third and fourth chances. It's not always about whether they are hitting every mark, but whether they are improving in the areas they are missing. Be forgiving, let them know where they are succeeding and encourage them to grow. Patience and forgiveness is essential in developing a mature, unified group.
 

5) Invest in 1-on-1 mentoring

Last, but certainly not least, is mentorship. This is perhaps the most important aspect of raising up new leaders. Make sure to spend time meeting with individuals one on one.  Spend more time with those who desire to grow and are willing to learn. The frequency should correspond to the maturity of your mentee. The goal of this time is for you to model how to critically think about issues and find answers and to show them how to lead other people. 
 
The value of this time will be proven when generational leadership is created. You invest time into people who, in turn, will invest their time into others. This ensures that when you need to focus on other issues, the group that you built will not only survive, but continue to flourish.
 
Creating an award-winning team takes dedication, patience, and hard-work. Implementing these elements will be a learning process for both you and your team, so be sure to celebrate those little victories along the way. In the end, your team will reap from the fruits of your effort and the results will be satisfying for all.
 

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