“It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.” This quote has been attributed to Ronald Reagan and Harry S. Truman, both great leaders. A challenge for any Managing Director today is how to build or drive more growth with existing teams and resources. As a coach, it is a challenge I often see in businesses.
One of the best ways to get the maximum impact from your team is ensure that a Managing Directors leadership focus is on making everyone around them successful. As they drive the success of their organisation or team, they leverage both the success of the business and the individuals. This may seem simplistic but it is often lost to the pressures of daily reality. Jim Collins defined this as being a Level 5 leader. But if driving the success of others is so powerful, why is it so difficult?
Two factors combine to drive Managing Director’s to rely on the “I’m in charge and will make it happen” style of leadership. First, as successful business people, they believe they have risen to levels of responsibilities due to their drive, skill, expertise and results. When pressured to deliver results in challenging markets and economies, the tendency is to rely upon what drove success in the past — themselves. The second practical issue is the fact that working to make others successful can often feel like abdicating leadership. To ask others on their team “how can I be of help” or “what do you need to be successful” is a far cry from the traditional command and control style of a “leader.”
To maximise the growth of a business, driving the success of the team will accomplish more than any individual heroic effort. As a Managing Director helping others around them become more successful, they will build a stronger, more competent and capable team. This will allow them to better retain their existing team and also attract new stronger performers.
So, as a business leader, what are you doing today to drive the success of your team? When was the last time you genuinely asked “how can I be of help”? Depending on the state of your organisation’s culture, it may take some time for people to accept and trust your help. Remember that “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit
