Developing the Leader Within You - People : Part 3

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.

In the last two lessors, we discussed the three traits of Successful People Developers. In this lessor, we will discuss People Development Principles.


People Development Principles

1. People development takes time.
• "There is something that is much more scarce, something raver than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability." - Robert Half
2. People skills are essential for success.
• The center for Creative Leadership studied successful executives and found the following
1. They admitted their mistakes and accepted the consequences, rather than trying to blame others.
2. They were able to get along with a wide variety of people.
3. They had strong interpersonal skills, sensitivity to others, and tact.
4. They were calm and confident, rather than moody and volatile.
• "The most important single ingredient to the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people." - Teddy Roosevelt
3. Be a model that others can follow.
• The number one motivational principle in the world is: People do what people see.
• The speed of the leader determines the speed of the followers.
• People's mind are changed more through observation than through arguments.
4. Lead others by looking through their eyes.
• "We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing; while others judge us by what we have already done." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
5. Leaders must care for people before they can develop them.
• Too often leaders request commitment from people without showing them proper care.
• High achievers view subordinates optimistically, while low achievers showed a basic distrust of subordinates' abilities.
• High achievers seek advice from their subordinates; low achievers don't.
• High achievers are listeners; moderate achievers listen only to superiors; low achievers avoid communication and rely on policy manuals.
6. People developers look for opportunities to build up people.
• The following are actions that good leaders avoid:
1. Failure to give credit for suggestions.
2. Failure to correct grievances.
3. Failure to encourage.
4. Criticizing employees in front of other people.
5. Failure to ask employees their opinion.
6. Failure to ask employees of their progress.
7. Favoritism.
7. The greatest potential for growth of a company is growth of its people.
• According to William J.H. Boetcker, people divide themselves into four classes:
1. Those who always do less than they are told.
2. Those who will do what they are told, but no more.
3. Those who will do things without being told.
4. Those who will inspire others to do things.
• "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next time, we will look into the indispensable quality of leadership - VISION.


Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc