High impact leaders constantly challenge and push themselves. However, if you challenge others too much you may end up crushing people’s spirit and too little challenge is an insult to the talent. How much can you push to avoid the risk of coming across as a pushover? The key is to:
Not Challenge all the time:
Leaders feel it is their responsibility to constantly set goals for others. However, in reality the goal is for you to just aid people to challenge themselves. Broaden their horizon to achieve their own stretch goals.
Read More: Leadership Style And Its Psychological Impact On Employee’s Well-Being
Help them learn from their failures:
Penalize reckless failures which camouflages in the form of neglect, blame game and excuse making. Recognize people who give their best and fail, honor their efforts. Our society is obsessed with the fallacy that possessing superior intelligence, skills followed by confidence in that order is potion for “SUCCESS”. Infact, years of research suggests that overemphasis on talent leaves one exposed to irrational fear of challenges, inability to see their shortcomings ultimately making them vulnerable to failure. Hence, while complimenting intellect or talent also emphasize value of hard work by praising employees for resilience. It is an effective and critical tool to motivate individuals to meet their potential.
Read More: The Psychology Behind Success
Encourage to take risks:
Individuals has a tendency to gravitate towards their comfort zone and stick to a particular way of doing things. This kind of statis hampers personal and organizational growth. Leaders play a vital role by challenging them with projects/tasks causing minimum disruption to their comfort zone yet enabling them to acquire and develop different skill sets and capabilities required. Challenging their status quo to see how well they manage adversity, operate under pressure and test their willingness to accept challenges.
Challenge to strengthen relationships:
Authority is notorious for influencing others and changing their perception of themselves (Pygmalion effect). Hence, don’t bludge on people with their success by constantly pressing for more with less. Instead develop and practice emotional intelligence as it creates a more positive work climate. Have genuine curiosity in the development of your team. Ask:
- Where would you like to be next year at this time? Why is that important to you?
- What are you good at? What makes you say that?
- What would make your goal a little more challenging?
- How might you aim a little higher?
- What’s preventing you from taking on this new opportunity? How might you remove that obstacle?
- What if you’re selling yourself short?
- If you reached higher, what might you try?
- What if you have more in you?
- What’s the bravest thing you can do?
High impact leaders merely don’t challenge but support with a purpose to create a positive, self-reinforcing cycle of personal and professional development. They make sure that the individual’s purpose is clear and aligned productively with the organization’s purpose to maximize business results. What have you done to bring out the best in your team? How are you balancing challenge and support? Which techniques have worked for you the best?
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