Perspective… Is this cute pug stealing the shoe or picking it up for the owner?
As a leader, are you in the habit of catching people doing something wrong or doing something right? Some of you are tempted to ignore this post because you don’t see yourself as a leader. Consider what John Maxwell has to say… “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
Leaders, those of us who understand our role as influencers – are in the habit of noticing people. As our leadership skills increase, we naturally look for excellence in others. We not only observe it, we make a point of letting that person know. The result – this consistent observation of the exceptional creates a natural desire in people to exceed their personal best.
Examples of Leadership Roles
Parents – also leaders – are challenged to teach their children the difference between right and wrong. Parenting is not for sissies – it takes great patience and self-control to keep a balance between correction and compliments. I think back at my childhood days. Like most children, I wanted my parents to not only notice what mattered to me but praise me for my efforts. My Mom kept raising the bar – she rarely complimented me. (I’m told however, that she bragged about me to everyone else.) My Dad praised me for most everything I did. Both loved me but neither one was my source of inspiration. One of my earlier influencers was a friend of the family. She noticed the things that really mattered to me… my books, my writing. It wasn’t all about compliments – she showed genuine interest. I couldn’t wait for her next visit. I went out of my way to make sure she knew how I was improving.
Managers are trained to maintain a standard. Quality control, performance evaluation, best practices… all these terms usually revolve around meeting the minimum requirements and catching any mistakes. We set a standard and we evaluate success based on that ideal. If you’ve worked in this type environment as I have, you will remember the ones that inspired you to exceed your personal best.
Ministry Leaders are challenged to work with limited if any staff and most often an untrained volunteer base. My experience has been that they tend to lean on the most reliable and neglect developing the less experienced. Admittedly it’s tempting to just lean on the experienced worker bees. However, there is incredible reward in helping someone grow in their gifts and talents. Encouraging others yields exponential results.
Are you an excellence spotter?
When you say, “Gotcha!” are you looking to build up or just maintain performance? Know this: If you are breathing, you are an influencer. Someone is noticing your behavior. There are so many more opportunities for us to encourage others – to take ownership and become intentional influencers… as customers, teachers, receptionists, patients, students, sons, daughters, siblings, volunteers, etc. How might you improve your ability to spot excellence?
Leaders Catch People Doing Something Right! Click To TweetA most excellent way
Take it even higher… “Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others.” Colossians 3:23 TPT
Catch someone doing something right! Notice improvement and celebrate it. Be specific and authentic. It matters that your praise is genuine and well thought out. Ready? Let’s go be excellence spotters!
Coaching Leaders to greater levels of influence!
The Time is Now
For some, encouraging others comes easily. Others may need to be more intentional. Have you experienced the benefits of spotting excellence in the workplace, at home or in your community? Share your experiences with us in the comments.
Not sure where to begin? Schedule a coaching session to explore your options and put a plan in place.
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Maggie Sabatier-Smith
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