Level Up, Week 6: People Development

Welcome to Week 6 of our group study of The 5 Levels of Leadership. This week we’re studying Level 4, People Development.
As I wrote in the chapter, people development enables a leader to lead larger. In other words, when you have leaders working with you, they accomplish much more than non-leaders do. However, developing people to become leaders takes a lot of time, effort and resources. That’s why most people don’t do it. Your challenge this week is to help the people in your group to understand the return on the investment, so that they will commit to putting in the effort and sustaining it during the delay between investment and return. Busyness, short-sightedness and insecurity are often the greatest barriers to people-development. Help the people in your group to recognize and overcome these.

READING ASSIGNMENT

Level 5: Pinnacle, pages 229-270 (We will discuss this reading assignment in NEXT WEEK’s post.)

DISCUSSION (Facilitator’s Guide)

1. (Icebreaker) Describe the first time you tried to teach someone how to do something, where the results were either comical or disastrous.

2. Tell about the person from whom you’ve learned the most in your entire life and how it changed you.

3. What happens in an organization when people are not equipped or developed?

4. Describe the difference between equipping and developing. Which do you think is easier to do? Why?

5. What criteria have you used in the past for selecting someone to develop or equip? Has it usually been motivated by strategy, or urgency?

6. What percentage of your time do you currently spend teaching, training and developing others?

7. Flash forward – What would your team, department or organization look like and be able to accomplish if you made people-development a lifestyle?

8. The chapter lists several reasons why most leaders don’t develop others, including self-centeredness, ego, desire for control, lack of trust, short-sightedness. Which of those do you find to be the greatest barrier for you personally? Why?

9. How much time are you willing to give every week to developing people? When will you begin?

ASSIGNMENT

Pick the top 20% of people with potential in your sphere of influence. Think about what those individuals need to be equipped, developed, and empowered to succeed. Begin spending time with them every week to help them grow and develop.