Dear friend,
I often get questions about “diversity” and “inclusion” and how to handle those areas from a leadership perspective in a balanced and harmonious way.
The first thing that I use to clarify is the fact that, from my personal view, when we talk about diversity, we shouldn’t talk about “inclusion”, but rather about “leverage”. I come from the position that every person has a unique, personal contribution to make. And that in the right environment, every person can excel and bring out the best of him/her-self. So, from a purely selfish perspective, looking at creating the maximum impact possible with my work, I truly believe I am doing a favor to myself when I invite the contribution of others with different background, condition or perspective. I leverage and take advantage of such an opportunity, rather than “just” being inclusive and allowing others to participate.
So how do I make sure to not only welcome contributions from so many different profiles of people, but to make it in a way that brings out the best of each person in the team? John Maxwell says “managers treat everyone the same, leaders treat everyone differently”. Getting to know every person in your team, what really motivates them, what moves them, their dreams and goals is what will allow you to help them develop their own unique full potential and contribution to your organization.
This is especially important when dealing with multicultural, geographically spread teams or even virtual teams (very used in the Agile model in IT today). You need to connect with your team members, to “touch their heart, before you ask for a hand”, is the Leadership Law of Connection. One of the things you can do to fully connect with your team members, is to know their personality styles, which will help you understand their natural behaviour and communication preferences. There are different models in the market for that, like MBTI or DISC. I like that DISC because it is simple and easy to understand and apply in the day to day activity. I personally use it and I assist leaders in using the DISC model and the Maximum Impact for Communication report and workshop: every team member gets to know its own style and the other styles, as well as keys to adapt and improve communication and collaboration, therefore increasing connection and productivity.
I was recently in a call with Dianna Kokoszka, CEO of the Keller Williams coaching and training organisation (and fellow John Maxwell Team Certified Coach), and Mark Cole, CEO of the John Maxwell Group. Dianna gave us a very interesting view on the impact that our leadership can have on getting the best out of each of our team members. On her own words, the formula for personal Productivity is
Productivity = Potential – Interference
I tended to think that if you live your Potential fully, by applying hard word, persistence, passion and dedication, the only outcome possible is that you maximize your Productivity. However, Dianna had a complementary view, which brings the parameter of the environment into the game: Interference can be added by many factors. But probably the most interesting for us to look at as leaders is the one that we can add ourselves, many times inadvertently. My role as a leader is to help my team develop and realize their full potential. However, by my actions, my attitude or my decisions I may be having a negative effect on them which will impact their productivity. This is what Liz Wiseman calls the “Accidental Diminishers” in her book “Multipliers”.
Simon Sinek also sustains that the same person will perform completely differently based on the environment she is in. He tells us the story about a barista in Las Vegas, Noa, working part time at the Four Seasons Hotel and at the Caesar’s Palace. The leadership style at the Four Seasons allows him to be himself and flourish in his work, then offering an extraordinary experience to the hotel’s customers. While at Caesar’s, he’s just another person trying to not make any noise through the day just to get his pay-check.
The Law of the Inner Circle tells us that “A Leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him”. To maximize your potential as a leader, you need to surround yourself with people that will share your vision, your values and your attitude, but that will bring complementary gifts and perspectives to the table. No one can be the perfect leader. John Maxwell discovered the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and he’s very clear on one thing: no one can do all the laws well. Not even him. So make sure you surround yourself with people that complete you. For example, I have a client that is a very high ID in the DISC model, which means that often he has the “shinny object syndrome”. He knows it now, so he takes good care of having around him someone that is more detail oriented and can do well the Law of Navigation: charting the course to get to where the vision of the leader is heading in a practical way.
John Maxwell says that the best business decision he took at the age of 40, was to start investing in priority in developing the people in his inner circle. This has paid the best dividends to him over time, as his potential and effectiveness raised at the same time that did the one of each member in his inner circle.
So my challenge to you today is to reflect about every person in your inner circle or your team and ask yourself those questions:
Do I know well that person in my team? Do I know what motivates her?
Do I know her personality style and the best way to communicate and connect with her?How is that person in my inner circle adding value to me?
How do I add value to her? Do I intentionally help her develop, so I can raise our collective potential?
What is the main development theme or goal for that person in my inner circle for the next 12 months?
Once you have tried to answer the questions for every member in your team and your inner circle, if there are still blanks to fill-in, schedule a time with the person to establish that connection and explore how to define a plan to move forward in that area.
Let me know how it goes. If you need help with the DISC model and the personality styles I can help you. Just contact me and we will explore how to help your team and add tremendous value to them together.
I congratulate you for your action and your commitment to become a better leader and for investing on you and your team and inner circle to secure better results for yourself and your organisation.
And don't hesitate to share this post with anyone around you who may need it. They are very much welcome in our community!
Create an awesome week for you and those around you!
To your success,
Ezequiel
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