Growing Leaders through Modeling Behavior & Honest Feedback
Hi Karin, What are a couple of the BIGGEST MISTAKES leaders make when GROWING LEADERS? #AskingForaFriend
This fantastic question came in during one of our recent leadership development programs. 
Three Mistakes that Will Sabotage Growing Leaders
1. Not modeling the way
I can’t tell you how often someone in our leadership programs raises their hand and says, “This is fantastic! Have you taught my boss?
So make sure that if you’re encouraging your team to model certain behaviors you are also demonstrating those behaviors. And if you want your team to lead in a human-centered way, you should show up that way too.
2. Not giving them genuine feedback
People need to have a realistic assessment of how they’re doing so they can grow and develop professionally. In the video I give an example of how this goes south — and I see it happen all the time. If someone has a behavior that is sabotaging their influence, you are not serving them by avoiding the conversation. Take the time to be direct and help them grow.
And of course, when you’re giving feedback be sure to also recognize what’s working. You get more of what you encourage and celebrate and less of what you ignore. When growing leaders, genuine feedback will boost their confidence and help them improve in the areas that they need to step up. Read our practical tips for how to provide more meaningful feedback here.
3. Using vague language and unclear feedback
When you use vague language you leave room for your team to fill in what’s missing, and it might not reflect what you’re actually trying to convey.
Instead of saying:
“You need to get better at critical thinking.”
“You need to be more empathetic.”
“Or, you need to be more strategic.”
Try being more specific like this:
“When you were working on the _______ project, I noticed it was challenging for you to set up the project efficiently. When you delegated the tasks out among the team the timing was off and important parts of the project weren’t done when they needed to be. Why do you think this happened? What do you think you could do differently next time?
Review our I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Method for a step-by-step breakdown of how to give clear feedback in a human-centered way.
I can tell you, it’s unfortunately common for people to receive unclear feedback. People often call me and say, What in the world does that mean? What am I supposed to do with THAT? So break down your observation into specific behaviors and actions they can employ to improve their skills.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Post in the comments below…what are your favorite tips for growing leaders?
And psst…Dear Leader…if work without human-centered practical leadership training is getting a bit too edgy for your liking – or your strategies just aren’t working like you need them to – visit our Live (online or hybrid) Leadership Training page to learn how to build and sustain company-wide change.
This is no cookie-cutter, stale-off-the-shelf program. Every Live (online or hybrid) Leadership Training we provide is customized…designed specifically to meet your team where they are.
See Related Articles:
Performance Management: How to Give Feedback to a Team Member Who Isn’t Changing
The Problem With Sandwich Feedback Video (and what to do instead)
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