Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Leadership lessons I learned from my seat on the bench #14

Do you elevate others?

John Mellencamp said that Bruce Springsteen makes him work harder. Bruce Arians, former Head Football Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said that Tom Brady makes people work harder.

How do you, as your school’s leader, make people work harder? How do you elevate them? I think it is important to take some time to think about it.

To effectively elevate people, I am going to start off with a given. Namely, you are a hard worker and you have a great attitude. No one is going to outwork you. You set the standard that people will want to emulate. Perhaps more importantly, though, is that you possess a growth mindset. Both you and your team must commit to each person’s personal growth and the growth of your team. Being personally ambitious and being ambitious for your team are strengths, not weaknesses.

You start by hiring the right people and coach them “up” and then coach them “up” some more. An elevating leader never stops coaching his or her team. The leader must be a masterful relationship builder who treats his or her team with kindness and fairness. You must personally support each team member.

Hold people accountable. Please do not be afraid of that word because I believe people want to be held accountable. When a team is functioning well, team members hold each other accountable. People, when met with hostility and aggression, will give you those behaviors in return.

Always hold high expectations. Yet, never forget that people may use different avenues to meet your high expectations. Highlight a person’s strengths, not his or her weaknesses. For me, it is always about EXPECTING EXCELLENCE.

Celebrate your successes. And perhaps use these feel-good times to remind people why they are on your team. Sometimes, we all may forget what we are passionate about.

Elevate yourself and then work to elevate people beyond yourself. If you do, I am sure that your team will meet with success after success. Good luck.