“If you are a leader, the true measure of your success is not getting people to work. It’s not getting people to work hard. It is getting people to work hard together. That takes commitment.”
John Maxwell Good Leaders Ask Great Questions
If you have ever coached or led a team then you know the challenge of bringing them together to work with the right focus and effort to accomplish a common goal. I have spent a lot of time working with individuals and teams helping them learn how to work toward a common goal. Sometimes I have done quite well at helping them work together, but at other times I haven’t.
Let’s look at John’s thought above and break it down a little. There is a simple formula for success in this statement.
First, people have to Work – Action, for the most part is all this is. If we are the one in charge this can be easy for a leader because as long as a person isn’t resistant or reluctant we can get some type of effort out of them. For example, an individual can go to the gym and walk on the treadmill for twenty minutes and not break a sweat. . . . they worked, but did not accomplish much.
Work hard – this requires the leader to use a stick or a carrot at times. A leader may start setting goals for the team and its members to inspire them to work harder and either reward or punish people based on the output of their work. I’m not suggesting this is the best method, but it is a method for getting people to work hard.
Work hard together – This requires leadership skill. Managers concern themselves with systems, processes, and order while a leader is concerned with people remembering the big picture and working together toward that goal. Leadership requires the ability to know where you are going, and how to inspire those you want to go with you to give their best. Leadership requires the ability to connect with others and help them become the best they can become. Leadership requires the ability to navigate through challenges while keeping everyone on course. Leadership requires at least as much work as you expect out of those you are leading.
Commitment – I once heard a successful professional athlete speak and he said at the elite level one of the biggest challenges is keeping your edge. When there is always fresh new talent coming up that means if you are not committed to improving yourself you will lose your job. The leader can be committed, but getting the team to be committed will require more work.
As you can see the formula looks like this success = commitment to working hard together. I will dive a little deeper into the commitment part next time. In the meantime, are you modeling this formula for those you lead? In what ways? What can you do to help your team work hard together? What is one action step you can take today? Let me know and keep leading well at work and home.
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