Developing the Leader Within You - People : Part 2

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

The more people you develop, the greater the extent of your vision.

This chapter of Maxwell's book will focus on the importance of developing people to share in and assist you with implementation of your vision as a leader. 

Last time we discussed the first trait of Successful People Developers ... Make the Right Assumptions About People. In this lesson, we will discuss the remaining two traits.


Successful People Developers ... Ask the Right Questions About People

• Am I building people or am I building my dream and using people to do it?
• Manipulation is moving together for my advantage.
• Motivation is moving together for mutual advantage.
• Do I care enough to confront people when it will make a difference?
• Clarify the issue instead of confronting the person.
• The Ten Commandments of Confrontation:
1. Do it privately, not publicly.
2. Do it as soon as possible.
3. Speak to one issue at a time.
4. Once you've made a appoint don't keep repeating it.
5. Deal only with actions the person can change.
6. Avoid sarcasm.
7. Avoid works like always and never.
8. Present criticisms as suggestions or questions if possible.
9. Don't apologize for the confrontational meeting.
10. Don't forget the compliments.
• Am I listening to people with more than my ears; am I hearing more than words?
• What most people really want is to be listened to, respected, and understood.
• The moment people see that they are being understood, they become more motivated to understand your point of view.
• What are the major strengths of this individual?
• Anyone who continually has to work in areas of personal weakness instead of personal strength will not stay motivated.
• Have I placed a high priority on the job?
• People tend to stay motivated when they see the importance of the things they are asked to do.
• The five most encouraging words in an organization are: "It will make a difference."
• Have I shown the value the person will receive from this relationship?
• People tend to stay motivated when they see the value to them of the things they are asked to do.
• "What's in it for me?"

Successful People Developers ... Give the Right Assistance to People

• I need to work out their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
• Some of the most capable people in an organization never utilize their greatest strengths. But they may never get an opportunity to do what they can do best. When this happens, everybody loses.
• I must give them myself.
• You can impress people at a distance but you can only impact them up close.
• Encourage the many; mentor the few.
• Be transparent with them.
• Develop a plan for their growth.
• Become a team.
• I must give them ownership.
• People want to be appreciated, not impressed.
• I must give them every chance for success.
• An excellent atmosphere to work in.
• The right tools to work with.
• A continual training program to work under.
• Excellent people to work for. Develop a team.
• A compelling vision to work toward.

Next time, we will explore the remaining levels of leadership.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc