A key aspect of being an effective servant leader is the delivery of results for the people and the organization that the leader is serving. Servant leadership is not “soft”, rather it is about helping people and organizations achieve extraordinary results. It is about raising the bar!
Servant leaders understand that the key to delivering extraordinary results is getting the right people on the team. They recognize this to be one of the most important aspects of their leadership role. A great leader never minimizes this part of their job, and will take the necessary time and effort to insure the hiring of the right people.
Whatever time is necessary to find people with the right values and talent that has proven to lead to extraordinary performance in a given job is time well spent. There are no shortcuts for this process.
First and foremost, great servant leaders know and understand the key talents and values that are necessary for the roles on the team, and then they find people with those values and talents.
The reason this is so important is that talent and values cannot be taught or trained. They are ingrained within a person. The skills and knowledge required for a job can be taught and developed over time. Therefore great leaders understand that given the choice they will always hire for values and talent.
Your best sales person does not necessarily make your best sales manager. Your best pressman does not necessarily make your best line supervisor. These roles each require very different talents just as a goaltender in hockey requires many different talents than a receiver on a football team.
Challenge yourself to fully understand the unique talents and values that lead to exceptional performance on your team, and then go out and look for more people with those attributes. I assure you it will lead to extraordinary results!
Mark Deterding
Maple Syrup Report: Activity has picked up in week 2. Our biggest collection day so far has been 27 gallons. So we are now in full production, and have visions of actually being able to have some pancakes with fresh maple syrup!
Nicely put, Mark!
Excellent post Mark!
I would add that sometimes the right values and talent are right under your nose!
The right talent will often be recruited from within.
My own experience is once you discover the talent within an organization, one can determine if the culture and values of the organization are the right fit.
If we as leaders are observant, objective and patient, we can recognize quality individuals that are “the right fit” and simply ready to grow. I call it a short cut to success!
Gary, you bring up some great insights! If you hire for talent and values you can frequently promote from within. There is nothing better than having an environment that allows people to grow and reach their potential in their career within the organization. Your company is a great example of that! Thanks so much for weighing in with your thoughts!
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your valuable insight. I completely agree with your point of taking the time required to make the right decision. Too often today decisions are made in haste and unfortunately turn out to be wrong. A patience decision is often perceived as indecision, thus a weakness. Props to Gary for his advice on prospecting from within. Talk about building a great culture, letting talented, values based employees know they can prosper within your organization in priceless.
All the best, Doug
Great to hear from you Doug, and thanks so much for your valuable comments! You are so right, take whatever time is necessary to make the right decision for talent and values initially and it will pay off in the long run. Great post!
Mark