Some people seem to be having a hard time taking personal responsibility for their results. I’m not sure why that is happening but it seems to be more prevalent than ever on today’s business teams.
It’s your job as a leader to help create the environment where everyone takes responsibility for their personal results. I think learning to be a “coaching leader” is one of the most natural and effective ways to lead.
In the companies where I get to be the company coach, I keep looking for ways to ignite the spark of personal responsibility in everyone.
To be a successful leader in today’s business world, you need to be a bit of a curious detective. You need to be able to figure out what makes every player tick. The challenge is, every player is different. It’s not one size fits all.
One way I’ve been able to tap into that is to do my best to connect everyone to the idea of being a part of a winning team.
Who wouldn’t want to be on a winning team?
I’ve been using sports and the performing arts as analogies for what we’re trying to do in business. I ask people questions like:
- How many ball games would a baseball team win if the shortstop can’t consistently catch a ground ball and throw the base runner out at first?
- How many fans will a band draw if the guitar player can’t consistently hit his or her notes?
I constantly remind everyone that every role is critical to the overall success of the business. Sure, sometimes when you are one player on a big team you can lose sight of how important it is that you do your job well every time.
Great leaders inspire personal responsibility in every player on the team. They never stop building a connection with their players so they can understand how to help the player play to their highest potential.
If you can’t help inspire higher levels of personal responsibility on your team, I’m afraid you might be destined to have a team with mediocre results.
Next time, try using the sports or performing arts analogy. Help your players understand how important their specific role is to the overall success of the team.
Ultimately, you have to help each player understand their own source of personal motivation. Good coaching leaders help their players get to the very core of who they are and what they are trying to accomplish. Once the coach helps the player find their source of motivation, that’s when the fun begins. That’s when you get to embark on other forms of coaching, i.e. helping them improve their technique or skills.
Without core motivation and a desire for personal responsibility, you’ll always be a frustrated leader with an underperforming team.
Help your team find out what makes them tick. Help them play to their highest potential!
Coach Pete
Pete Walsh offers family business consulting services, workshops, tools and resources as the founder of the Family Business Performance Center. Subscribe to his newsletter or get in touch to get actionable insights to help your family business grow for generations to come.
