MENTOR

Oct

2021

Pruning as a Leader

We have a bush on the side of our house that is a little out of control. A few months ago my wife suggested that we need to trim it down so I finally got to it the other day. As I worked on thinning out this bush I was reminded of the book Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud. He discusses the idea of pruning as leaders. He says:

“The areas of your business that require your limited resources – your time, energy, talent, emotion, money – but are not achieving the vision you have for them should be pruned.”

As I reflect on trimming and pruning that bush there seem to be different ways we need to prune. (As an aside reading the above book will provide a greater depth of exploration on this topic.)

Dead

As I was working my way through this large bush and grabbed some branches, they broke off. These branches were of no value to the bush. They were rotten or dead. Sometimes we may lead people that seem “dead.”

These are the employees in an organization I’d call subordinates who simply show up to get their paycheck and do just enough to not get in trouble. They may be volunteers in another organization who show up and do nothing or worse stir up problems. These people may create problems by not carrying their load, creating more problems, not getting results, or simply bring no value. If you think you may have someone like this on your team visit this post to see if there is a deeper reason before removing them.

Out of Control

One of the branches on this bush was out of control. I began sawing the branch off, but it still was fruitful so we will evaluate if we keep it. We must determine if the way it sticks out detracts from the overall vision we have for the bush.

Maybe you have someone you lead who is out of control. They still get results but are not staying aligned with the organizational or team vision and may struggle as a team player.

With this person pruning may be determining together how to best position the individual to help the overall vision. It could also be a difficult conversation to help the individual understand how to use their desire to be unique in a productive manner. This individual may not have to be removed, but could use some mentoring or coaching so they are not a negative influence.

Healthy but Need Attention

Finally, some of the branches simply needed cut back so they can grow back more fruitful. These are the individuals on your team who add value, produce, but need some guidance and direction to grow. This may be the individual who has only been on the team for a few months or is new to learning how to behave in your environment. This could be someone who has transitioned from a sales or technical position and needs help shifting to thinking like a leader.

Mentoring from someone within or coaching from someone outside the organization may serve this individual well. Pruning in this case is for the purpose of identifying gaps in their performance to help them grow to their full potential.

Take a minute and look at your team. Do you need to do some removal or pruning? Do you need help thinking into your leadership or does someone on your team? Contact me and let’s discover how I can help. Don’t put off pruning like I did my bush so you can create room for growth. Lead Well.

Oct

2018

What voices are you listening to?

I was in a leadership conference listening to a speaker as she shared a concept that I was familiar with, but with a different twist. I talk to people about “the rule of 5” . . . the five people closest to you most impact the person you will become. Not only is this true, but also what we allow in our mind and focus on impacts our results.

I have heard about John Maxwell’s Law of the Inner Circle in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership which states “a leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him”. This speaker took this concept to a more detailed level and called them your “personal board of directors” which I will explain in detail in a moment.

Two days later I was reading a newsletter I receive about the challenges specific people of faith face in other countries. Now I am not trying to force my beliefs on you in any way, but this thought I encountered has relevance for all of us.

I will not go into detail about what led the individual to this thought, but you are welcome to reach out to me and I will gladly share. Here was a thought she had after getting out of a very challenging environment:

“We respond more to the beeps on our phone, I find, than to the Holy Spirit.”

As I reflected on this thought and the speaker’s statements I gathered a few leadership insights from both.

Slow down to listen and think. I know my phone or drive to have a clean inbox continually pull at me and keep me from being quiet and still enough to hear that quiet voice which guides me to know the next step. You don’t have to be a person of faith to agree there are times you get a “gut feel” on what to do, but if we are constantly busy we struggle to slow down, think, and tune into the “gut feel” or “spirit” or whatever you want to call it.
Have a counselor. As a leader is there someone in your life that helps you reflect and process the pain points in your life? A true counselor helps you reflect on the past, but a coach helps you think into the future. Both can be helpful, but a coach looks to the future while a counselor will help you dig out of the pain of the past. Whichever you need . . . or both. . . are these people on your personal board of directors as this speaker discussed?
Have a mentor. I have in my life multiple mentors who help me build my business. I don’t know all the answers and these individuals have been successful and are further down the path. What mentors do you have in your industry to help you grow?
Have a spiritual director. This speaker is a person of faith and this is important because the reality is we are all spiritual beings. You can define this however you want, but is there someone in your life that helps you when you are out of sync spiritually? Why is this important? We only have a short time on this planet and this person will help make sure you are leading yourself and others in a way that matters for the long haul.

These thoughts prompted me to evaluate the people closest to me and the thoughts I pay attention to. What about you? Maybe this is not the right make-up for your personal “board of directors,” but it resonated with me and I hope this helps you think into how to lead better at home and work. Who would be on your “board of directors,” let them know. Lead well.