🇬🇧 Untapped Potential in Your Team? – How to Activate People Who Can Do More Than They Show

00:00:03: Why are they asleep?

00:00:05: What could I do to awake the full potential?

00:00:07: because very few people come to work Intending to be average and perhaps there are no sleepers after all Perhaps.

00:00:16: There are only people that no one has believed strongly enough in yet.

00:00:26: Hello, and welcome to today's slide for a leadership podcast episode.

00:00:32: Great that you're on the show again And welcome conversation that hopefully inspires you to find hidden potential in people and your team.

00:00:42: Today, I'd like talk about a question many leaders occasionally ask themselves – often only in private!

00:00:51: The question sounds a bit like….

00:00:54: Why do some employees never really realize their full potential?

00:01:00: Why is it?

00:01:02: Almost every team has them People who are reliable, who get their work done but rarely take an initiative proactively.

00:01:14: They deliver what's expected yet seldom surprise you.

00:01:18: people could clearly do more But don't.

00:01:22: so the real question then is not Do I have sleepers on my team?

00:01:28: The real questions why they asleep?

00:01:32: What would i do to awake the full potential?

00:01:36: Because very few people come to work intending to be average.

00:01:42: Everyone I know has a profound, at least basic motivation.

00:01:48: that is why they come to Work every morning no matter whether They came into the office or their work from home office.

00:01:56: so there Is a fundamental motivation But there are a few problems in this context that I have encountered throughout my corporate career, twenty-five years and also now through out the thirteen years we've been together here with team consulting training coaching people to become better leaders.

00:02:15: So what do i seen?

00:02:18: One element of scene is We confuse current performance with future potential.

00:02:24: Many leaders judge their people by what they delivered today But performance is the result of many factors, clarity of expectations to begin with.

00:02:36: Are we sure that we gave our people clear expectations in terms of outcomes?

00:02:42: Timings, qualities... Another area that could influence performance as motivation Self-confidence The environment that we are creating around them.

00:02:55: Maybe it doesn't really maximize performance yet Leadership has a tremendous influence on people's performance.

00:03:05: Potential, in the other hand describes what someone is capable of performing and almost every employee probably including people your own team have far more potential than they realize themselves.

00:03:23: throughout my career I've repeatedly seen average performers become top performers after getting a new leader, not because they changed but because their leadership changed.

00:03:35: I've been fortunate to work for several leaders who believed in me sometimes more than i believed myself.

00:03:44: One particular personal example while working as marketing director at Global Consumer Goods Business in Germany who actually promoted me twice within just six months.

00:03:59: And if you're interested to listen to him, he really had a tremendous professional management and leadership career.

00:04:08: Forty-two years in one company starting at the age of twenty-one staying for forty two years.

00:04:14: In the last six years He served as global CEO and Global Chairman of Procter & Gamble worldwide and I was lucky enough to have that man as my direct boss for three years.

00:04:24: His name is David Taylor, if you'd like to meet him or listen what he believes are the essence of good leadership then please join into Lightwolf podcast.

00:04:36: number one hundred and fifty four entitled i can't yet.

00:04:42: Leadership lessons learned from David Taylor.

00:04:44: strongly believe in power-of-growth mindsets.

00:04:48: about a year later I reflected again about how he influenced me.

00:04:55: How his leadership behavior raised my performance.

00:05:01: and that episode is Lightwolf Leadership Podcast.

00:05:05: Episode two hundred fifteen, two one five entitled.

00:05:10: expect an encourage inspired by David because in fact thats all you did!

00:05:16: He just expected...he raised the bar.

00:05:19: He raised his expectation to me and then gave me courage.

00:05:23: He encouraged me To grow, and grow my outcome And performed until the moment I was close to hitting target.

00:05:34: Then he raised expectations again.

00:05:35: So expect an encourage.

00:05:38: Two things that i really appreciate in this skill set of this exceptional leader Another example Of environment we can create The power Coaching.

00:05:49: the power of leading is from a completely different field.

00:05:53: and now I'm outing myself a bit.

00:05:56: Yes, I am football maniac.

00:05:58: I've played for about three decades when i was A teenager in The young adult And When I was fourteen?

00:06:06: It wasn't decent kicker at that time I was in the u-fourteen off a club That currently suffering.

00:06:12: at the time they were In the first division in Germany even won the cup twice.

00:06:16: Their name is Fortuna Lysseldorf.

00:06:19: I played for their U-IV and i was surrounded by top talent, just great players all around me!

00:06:25: And top coaches.

00:06:26: in year one my coach was a gentleman who had performed five hundred ninety three times in the German Bundesliga.

00:06:35: he even made it to the national team... ...and i just learned a ton yeah?

00:06:39: In year two i was coached by a man who was sent up in the back of Bayer Leverkusen, also an outstanding team.

00:06:48: So two exceptional coaches and great people around me had a great motivating highly performing environment that just challenged me and it unleashed potential much more than had I stayed in the club where i was before.

00:07:03: And reflecting on hindsight this was probably one time in my life that I grew the fastest at anything ever done as result of waking up my full potential, also sometimes receiving a bit uncomfortable feedback to make me wake-up.

00:07:23: So the second area of opportunity that I detect when I look around in business is we keep giving responsibility for those same people under pressure.

00:07:36: many leaders naturally tend to delegate their strongest performance because they can rely on them and know it's going work And in the short term, that's efficient for leaders.

00:07:47: But long-term it is very dangerous.

00:07:50: Your best people become overloaded.

00:07:53: Everyone else becomes unchallenged.

00:07:56: That exactly why sleepers are created.

00:08:01: not necessarily because they lack ability but opportunity Because someone didn't fully trust what they were capable of.

00:08:15: And a third and final area of opportunity that I have encountered in my professional career is, we manage too much and coached to little.

00:08:25: many one-on-one meetings revolve around tasks status updates deadlines problems but rarely around development.

00:08:37: the most important leadership is not leadership.

00:08:40: question one-on-ones and Joe fixes is not how your project going.

00:08:47: A much more impactful question instead, what could you take on that don't quite feel ready for yet?

00:08:57: That's an area where real growth begins!

00:09:01: So... What can YOU

00:09:03: do?!

00:09:04: Let me share a few suggestions to consider how to unleash full potential out of people Number one look not just for performance, but four potential every week.

00:09:21: Choose one employee and ask yourself if I truly believed in this person's potential What responsibility would i give her or him today?

00:09:36: Then Give them exactly that responsibility.

00:09:40: Give them the opportunity Not someday Now dare it, do it.

00:09:47: People rarely grow before responsibility.

00:09:51: they go through responsibility if you have the courage to give it to them.

00:09:58: so suggestion number one look not just for performance but potential and then trust in it.

00:10:07: idea number two delegate development Not Just Work.

00:10:13: average leaders Delegate tasks.

00:10:16: Great leaders delegate development.

00:10:20: Deliberately assign projects to your people that are visible, require courage and create genuine learning opportunities And then support your people.

00:10:32: Encourage them but don't rescue them Because every time you rescue someone You slow down their development.

00:10:42: So suggestion number two delegate development, not just work.

00:10:49: And idea number three for you to reflect on don't just have performance conversations but also potential conversations.

00:10:59: Regularly ask your people questions like where do you believe you have untapped potential?

00:11:05: Which of your strengths are using too little today ?

00:11:10: What would YOU be willing take if you knew making a mistake, or where should I support you more as leader and deliberately step back?

00:11:23: These could be questions to consider prompt new conversations.

00:11:31: You'll probably be surprised how often their answers are better than your assumptions.

00:11:41: One of the greatest compliments I've ever heard about a leader was the simple sentence, quote.

00:11:47: She pumps talents

00:11:49: unquote.".

00:11:50: I'll never forget this.

00:11:52: This was number years ago and we were awarded to support about one hundred and forty middle managers in senior leaders who become stronger versions of themselves – stronger humans than strong leaders.

00:12:07: two-and-a-half years or a hundred people.

00:12:10: a series of workshops.

00:12:13: Half of them were outside Europe, the other half where Europeans mainly Swedes up in Gothenburg and up in Munich.

00:12:21: I'll never forget it.

00:12:23: And one of those workshops suddenly one participant raises her hand as says yeah i need to share something Stefan!

00:12:30: I want talk about Agneta from Stockholm.

00:12:33: she really pumps talents and went like what?

00:12:39: I paused the workshop Turned to that participant and said could you kindly repeat?

00:12:44: That please?

00:12:46: she's yes Agnita from Stockholm.

00:12:48: She is pumping talents.

00:12:50: Whoever we give into her team We'll leave the team about two years later much bigger, and much stronger.

00:12:59: That's the kind of skill in behavior that I'm advocating.

00:13:03: Believe in these people make them grow believe in them more than they believe themselves like Agnitta in Stockholm.

00:13:10: And By the way, imagine if someone said that about you.

00:13:16: What would this mean as a leader growing other people into full potential?

00:13:22: And If YOU yourself were interested to become the Leader You're Capable of To Become The Best Version Of Yourself Who Consistently Develops Yourself and Also Others Into Full Potential Then Consider Joining Lightfall's Leadership Academy.

00:13:40: This is a one-year compact leadership education with both online access to my best tips advice tools and Six times a year group live coaching.

00:13:52: With me where people bombard me with their toughest questions on those six competencies that define Leadership, six competences that every leader needs to master.

00:14:04: interesting To you have a look into show notes And if interesting just book it and Join Lightwolf Academy.

00:14:11: I look forward to welcoming you as a new member soon!

00:14:15: And my final thought for today….

00:14:18: Throughout my career, i've had the privilege of working with many leaders – now as a consultant trainer coach & keynote speaker – to work with almost thirteen thousand over the last couple years.

00:14:33: The very best have one thing in common They are not just talent scouts.

00:14:39: They are talent developers.

00:14:42: they don't just see the person standing in front of them today, they See the person that she or he will become two three four years down The road.

00:14:54: That's the skill they have and that's the behavior they show And they let accordingly and perhaps there are no sleepers after all.

00:15:06: Perhaps There are only people that No one has believed strongly enough in yet.

00:15:13: I wish you every success in discovering these people, In your environment and believing more than they believe themselves.

00:15:23: Chances are both.

00:15:26: They & You might be richly rewarded!

00:15:31: Thankyou for listening And i look forward to welcome again the next episode of Lightwolf Podcast.