“You’re never any better than the people you surround yourself with.” ~Gino Blefari~
This great quote from Gino is one that has resonated with me over the years. I have certainly benefited from being surrounded by so many talented people over time and I acknowledge that I would not be where I am today without them. You don’t have to look very far to appreciate the best staff in the business, as well as the most positive and upbeat group of colleagues. I take tremendous pride in recognizing and attracting quality, talented people. People who I can trust and people who I can leverage to help us all achieve our collective goals.
If you’re not leveraging all the quality people around you, your job is harder than it needs to be.
I was meeting with a colleague the other day and he seemed utterly exhausted. There was just too much work to be done and not enough time to do it, or so he thought. Most of us are our own worst enemies when it comes to time management and setting work priorities. Everything is urgent or is on the verge of becoming so. We are haunted by the old saying, “If you want a job done right, you need to do it yourself.”
I would encourage you to think differently and embrace the whole concept of leverage. Leverage doesn’t just have to do with financial resources, but other assets as well, including your staff or colleagues. Take a step back before jumping into another task and ask the question,” …given all my other work responsibilities, who is the best person to do this?” If the answer is you, then something else needs to be delegated or reprioritized. However, if the answer is someone else, then, employ their help and let them do it. One person can only do so much.
People are always our most valuable resource. Even if you are a one-person shop, you typically have advisors, partners, or colleagues in your network with specific expertise – use them. Surround yourself with bright, hardworking people with complementary skills and common values, and then let them do their job.
A lack of trust is a bit more complicated. Who would admit to knowingly partnering with people they don’t trust? Once we have gone through the rigorous and careful process of finding a partner who compliments our efforts, we should trust them until proven otherwise. This doesn’t mean we throw them into the deep end of the pool and hope they can swim. But, once you’ve set the proper expectations, let them do their jobs.
The problem is that many people simply struggle with the trust issue. They dole out trust as a valuable commodity. Instead of leveraging their team, they prefer to bet on a sure thing. This means their business will inevitably hit a brick wall when it comes to growth and managing new opportunities. Good businesses require good people and the bigger the stakes, the higher quality talent needed. But you cannot attract and retain good people without trusting them.
Finally, there is conflict avoidance. The average person struggles to engage in direct and honest conversations about individual performance issues. As a result, we resort to passive-aggressive behaviors rather than dealing with issues early on to keep them from becoming major problems. I’ve been to many organizations where there have been considerable workarounds due to individual behaviors and actions. Think of how much valuable time and energy is wasted every day because of this behavior. This does not mean you fire every non-performer; it means you have the responsibility of getting people to perform. When an individual is not performing, let them know as soon as possible and communicate that you genuinely care and want them not only to perform but to succeed. They will easily sense if this is inauthentic.
Leverage is everything in business. You cannot grow or target new opportunities without the ability to leverage the talents of the people in your circle. To effectively leverage your people, you need to take the time to think through the best ways to use their talents and abilities.
Once you have hired someone and taken care of the basics to get them up and running, trust them until proven otherwise. As they consistently perform, add to their responsibilities, and then trust them even more. Finally, address performance issues proactively and work in partnership with underperforming partners to get things back on track.
Will your business have a perfect record for leveraging its people? Not likely. However, I guarantee that you will have more time, feel less stressed, get better results, and build better relationships if you do these things. Who among us wouldn’t like to have these outcomes in our lives?
