We're all human

Every leader at some time has to deal with challenging people. It is the nature of being human to face difficulties in ourselves and others. The first step is to recognize the challenges and meet people where they are.

As John W. Gardner (educator and public official) said, "If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are."

Two Common Challenges

In "What Successful People Know about Leadership", John C. Maxwell devotes a chapter to resolving conflicts and leading challenging people. He offers helpful suggestions that are worth exploring.

In this blog, we’ll look at two common challenges leaders face when working with others:

• People who are coasting along and not reaching their fullest potential.
• People who start things but never finish.

Settling for Less

Often there are people on the team who are doing the basics required, but they are not going the extra mile. You might think that this is okay, especially if the rest of the team is strong. But every part of the whole matters. If one person settles for mediocrity, it can impact the whole team because the complacency may spread.

Part of being an effective leader is knowing how to engage people with excellence. A good way to begin is with a few simple questions that firmly place ownership in their hands. For example, you might ask someone who is underperforming: "Are you achieving your highest potential? Would you like to do better?"

This sparks initiative, and from there the person can turn initiative into action. But what if they want to do better, but don't know how? What may seem like a moment of discouragement is actually an opportunity.

If they don't know how they can do better, ask if you can help them. By giving them a choice, you empower them. There is no more perfect moment for growth than the moment in which a person recognizes what they do not yet know.

Not Finishing Things

We've all worked with people who have inspired ideas but seem less able to see them through. They can be impassioned and visionary, a real asset to the team. Yet, they need help learning how to see things through.

The problem with not taking commitments to completion is that it is a self-perpetuating condition. If a person does not complete things, they never experience the reward of finishing. This impacts how they feel about themselves and makes it harder for them to achieve success.

What is worse, they may lose the trust and respect of the people they work with, and this furthers the feelings that keep them from getting things done.

5 Tips for Helping People Finish

As a leader, you can have a big impact on people who struggle with meeting their commitments. Here are 5 tips you can use to help the people on your team cross the finish line:

1. Get them to visualize the success of accomplishment. World-class athletes and other top performers know the value of mental rehearsal. What we can imagine happening is more likely to happen.
2. Hold them accountable for their promises. Too often leaders and team members pick up the slack when someone doesn't follow through on their promises. This only perpetuates the problem. As a leader, it's your job to hold fast and be clear that you expect the people on your team to meet their commitments.
3. Equip them to manage their time effectively. Sometimes people simply lack the skills to manage their time well. If that appears to be the case, give them tools and training to address this concern.
4. Pair them with a highly motivated person. One of the most effective ways of helping a person see things through is to team them up with a person who is good at meeting deadlines.
5. Only reward finished work. Sometimes in our eagerness to support people, we give too much appreciation for ideas. It's best to save the applause for finished results.

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant." —Max DePree (businessman and writer)

Your Friends,
The UpCloseTeam