Recently I was facilitating a discussion with a group of leaders about team performance and retention. One of them talked about her success strategy of identifying or learning people’s 100. I was intrigued by how that sounded and asked her to expand on exactly what it meant.

 

In her years as a leader, she’s had to learn that some of her team members don’t view the workplace the same as she does. Some do not have the same sort of work ethic, drive or capacity that she had when she performed the roles that she is now responsible for managing. It wasn’t that they weren’t quality team members, or couldn’t do the job, they just weren’t doing things the same way or at the same level that she would have done them.

This is something I’ve discussed with leaders over and over and again for the past few decades.  The main reason you’re in a leadership role is because you gave that little extra. You had that capacity, and you were willing to do a little bit more. Your team members aren’t YOU, they are completely different, with different sets of values, personal drive, and skillsets. You can either allow that to continuously frustrate you, or you can adapt your style and meet each person exactly where they are. The choice is yours.

 

Part of being an effective leader is an understanding that each person you manage has a certain level of capacity based on their knowledge, experience and willingness to do more. The way she shared it is identifying what their 100% actually is. I may not be YOUR 100%, but it’s figuring out all the different people and personalities on your team. What is their max level, where are they at today? How can you coach them, work with them, and train them to get their 100%, whatever that might look like.

 

We’ve been talking a lot about leadership agility and meeting people where they’re at and I just love the way that sounds. Finding people’s 100, learning their 100, accepting their 100, and then helping them decide if they can increase their 100 to a level that maybe they’re comfortable with. That’s a modern leader. That’s leadership agility. Learn people’s 100 and see where is goes for you.

 

Until next time here’s to you and your continued success and learning the 100

One Quarter Turn at a Time

Thoughts for the week:

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune. — Jim Rohn

Set a goal so big that you can’t achieve it until you grow into the person who can. – Zig Ziglar

When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you. — Lolly Daskal

Looking forward to our next connection

Coach Tim