Prospecting
I met Pete during my first week at the company. My direct reports and I walked through an assimilation exercise, and I was able to ascertain a few points about their behaviors, backgrounds, and overall company culture. I then transitioned to a series of one-on-one interviews where we dove deeper into their roles, hobbies, family, and professional or personal goals. I am always intrigued by what is discovered in these initial conversations and attempt to understand what brings them joy and develop rapport. I ask a few questions and see how the conversation flows, and at the conclusion, I ask my team members if they have anything they want to know about me.
My conversation with Pete was dynamic and fruitful. He is married with kids, likes the outdoors, spends quality time with his family, and loves fitness. He shared that he was one of the company’s first employees. Over the past 15 years, the company had grown to over 250 team members. Peter was an original and led the second-largest team with slightly more than 50 members.
Partway through our dialogue, I asked Pete, “What aspects of your job do you enjoy?”
“We have a newer technology system that I love interacting with and compiling the data to help drive better efficiencies with the team. We’re all owners here and made significant strides in overall execution and cost savings for the company,” he responded.
“That sounds like you’ve captured great value for the organization that has driven positive financial results. It also sounds like you enjoy mining the data, and you explained earlier that you enjoy the solitude while biking long distances. Can you share how you interact with the key leaders on your team?” I was curious to understand more.
“Well, I have weekly meetings with them, and we talk through our lists of responsibilities, gain consensus, and move on from there. My supervisors interact most with the team members, and I think it works ok,” he answered.
I paused momentarily, “Just curious, you mentioned you have been here for 15 years. Have you ever had any leadership training or development for your current role or any leadership training in general?”
He glanced back and answered, “No.” I wasn’t entirely surprised by his response.
The company was mid-sized and on a steady growth rate year over year. Those activities are often overlooked because more ominous customer-facing needs are always present. Investment in others takes resources, planning, and discipline. I looked to wrap up our meeting. “Pete, I appreciate your candidness today. I’ve learned much from you and what you mean to the company. I want to ask you one thing, and it’s a bit personal, so you don’t have to answer me at this precise moment. It can wait until we meet again in a few weeks, and I want you to chew on this a bit. Do you thrive or find joy in leading this team, or does this seem like arduous work for you day after day…?”
Mining is Hard Work
Being a good leader is tough enough, but outstanding leadership requires time, energy and a healthy investment in developing others. In his book Mining for Gold, Tom Camacho explains that leaders are responsible for developing and coaching their respective teams. He describes this process as spirit-led and leverages the acrostic GOLD to outline the four key concepts of Coaching Leadership. [1] He describes a concise set of instructions for success that are led by the Holy Spirit.
- Gold is everywhere.
- Open your eyes to see it.
- Learn the skills to draw it out.
- Develop others continuously.
Organizations can accomplish more collectively by mining and paying closer attention to employees’ skills. Jim Collins makes a similar comparison in his book, Good to Great. Leaders start with the “who” by getting the right people on the bus. However, they must take the next critical step of evaluating their team’s skills and locating the right people in the right seats on the bus. [2] Once that is established, casting a vision and taking the team on a journey is much easier and rewarding for everyone involved.
Leadership coaching requires substantial energy, but it must be balanced out appropriately. I am a recovering workaholic. Perhaps. Being raised in a family of commercial fishermen, I learned to work hard at a young age. Servant leadership and putting others first has been my mantra. People have complemented me for a being great teacher and leader, performing at a high level takes energy. This has slowly taken a toll over the years and only recently have I started taking more time for myself to rest, recover, and rejuvenate. Tom Camacho would call us to “drink deeply” for ourselves. Using his analogy of flying in a commercial aircraft, you must care for your need for oxygen before you try to help others get theirs. It is essential for leaders to regularly stop and breathe the oxygen of God’s love for themselves so that they have the health and strength to pour into others. [3] I am improving at this practice, but it is still a work in progress.
Extracting Value
Pete and I reconvened a few weeks later and I anticipated hearing his response to my question. He shared that his DISC profile that he was a high “C” and a private and analytical individual. I continued to work with him and support him in his current position, and a few months later, a different need surfaced in our organization. It could free him up to focus on more enjoyable aspects of his job and still make a resounding difference and meet a critical need. The new role was more data and project-based, so he could invest more in his talents. After much thought, prayer, and consulting with my peers on the senior leadership team, we made the change. Initially, Pete was very nervous about the switch, but I was able to come alongside him and teach him to fill in the gaps. It was a win-win for Pete and the company, producing effective personal and team results while saving a few million dollars.
[1] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold, (London, UK: Inter-Varsity Press, 2019) 5.
[2] Jim Collins, Good to Great, (New York, NY: Harper Collins: 2001) 41-42.
[3] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold, (London, UK: Inter-Varsity Press, 2019) 163.
About the Author
Michael Hansen
11 responses to “Prospecting”
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Nice post, Mike. I found myself rushing through that middle part, wanting to know what happened with Pete.
Against my will, I was made a manager in 2011. Within two years, I successfully identified, trained, and promoted my replacement, enabling me to become Senior Advisor with no people responsibilities. My Director, Bob, couldn’t understand the decision. He was driven by the buzz of getting the most out of others. I felt that vacation requests and performance reviews were getting in the way of truly helping. My formal job is to solve the problems that others can’t. My informal role is to coach technical leaders so they can maximize their impact. I love both halves.
The Peter principle suggests that organizations are filled with people stuck at their point of incompetency. Your ‘Pete’ anecdote is the counterpoint that true organizational leadership can allow the individual to discover a better path.
I couldn’t agree more, Rich. What I appreciate about Camacho’s approach is that the focus is on allowing someone to become the best *that God made them to be.*
In an environment where “best” is measured in terms of position in a hierarchy, it can feel counter-intuitive when someone recognizes that they are their best self when rejecting “the ladder” in favor of living in their sweet spot.
As a manager, I have asked people to consider management roles they don’t feel ready for. I think it’s very normal to feel unready for new things. Sometimes those work out beautifully and someone discovers they do have it in them. It has also been a joy to see people come alive when I have removed burdens from them that they did not wish to carry. Sometimes you just have to try it to find out, making sure that there is a gracious and kind alternative if it doesn’t work out. Well done, Mike, for your leadership in providing that for Pete.
Rich, you exhibit a high level of maturity and self-awareness that guided you through that process. I commend you on figuring out early in that transition that you (and others) were best served by having you in more of a non-managerial or direct leadership role. That is not a skill everyone exhibits and they jump straight into the fire. There are countless examples of high-potential (hi-pot) leaders being thrust into roles too early or without the proper training. They struggle, become frustrated, and either get redirected into a different role (unwillingly) or perhaps leave. Everyone asks the question, “Well, what happened?” on the other end, and the team doesn’t understand why it failed.
Mike, nice post again. After reading Pete’s story, I wondered how we measure success. Is success value for the company? That’s a metric, but for leaders, it seems like it could be a dangerous metric for the health of the people around them.
Perhaps we need a shift in metrics that looks more at what the people we invest in go on to do, their quality of life, and their impact. You captured that with Pete.
I have been encouraged by the number of organizations shifting their view toward success also including some measure of the holistic health of their own people. To me, this feels like a much more biblical view of what it means to “be doing well.”
Joff, I could not agree more. I think companies that don’t provide or assist with these types of services or development over time will struggle to hire and retain good talent. It’s not about having an on-campus cafeteria, gym membership, or hybrid work options. It’s all about the whole person. The new generation entering the workforce is much different than years prior.
Robert, I’ve seen various approaches, but in most instances, success is measured by how much is contributed to the single bottom line ($). I’ve been called out for being “too slow” when I have taken time to develop people. It’s not a binary solution. Organizations are often required to act first and then go back to figure out the remainder, which includes sifting through the carnage. That approach becomes much more costly and negates any goodwill.
The most impressive approach I saw was in the WarRoom of a publicly traded company I worked for years ago. They used the Balanced Scorecard approach, and their bonus structure was based on four “perspectives”—financial, customer, process, and employee. If ANY of those failed or fell below a specific threshold, there was zero payout. From the employee perspective, it was focused on employee safety, training/development, and feedback loops. That approach was excellent from my perspective.
Mike, reading your post just now reminded me of something my counselor asked me just yesterday. After listening to me describe my current status, she asked, “Do you have a hard time putting your needs first? Or putting them on the table at all?” I believe I’ve equated putting everyone else first with servant leadership. But Camacho’s illustration of the oxygen mask reminds us that we must care for ourselves. Can I ask, in what ways do you “drink deeply” these days as a leader?
Mika,
Fulfilling my needs has surfaced in different ways over the years. After putting others first at work, I admit I didn’t have much left in the tank for my family. They suffered because of my lack of recognition and were often last on the list—not ideal. The Servant Leader can fall into traps and carry too many rocks in the rucksack. The load becomes heavier over time and is entirely unmanageable until, one day, you might collapse. I’ve been on that edge a few times over the years. I have learned to gracefully “push back” when the rock is laid on the table before me. I asked more profound questions and then had my direct report pick up and “own” the rock, avoiding putting that directly in mine.
I am just engaging with a Spiritual Director for the first time. I have also ensured I have windows of quiet, “alone” time on the weekend. To help reset each week, I will go on a walk early on Sunday with my rucksack (no rocks, but other stuff). It is early enough in the day (dark sometimes) when no people or cars are on the road. I just try and slow myself to listen to the Holy Spirit and find incredible peace in those moments along with guidance to hard questions.
Hi Mike, Incredible post and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Your story was compelling, and I couldn’t wait to hear how you fully processed with Pete. You are a good coach leaning into getting to know others, authentically having an interest in Pete. Your social intelligence is strong, and I’d love to report to someone like yourself. I see your understanding of building trust and how that enhances building and casting vision. I think any lead director who has a strong skill set to understand their reports, has a genuine interest in them and dig for the gold is going to help them mine for their sweet spot. Thanks for adding the drinking deeply to remind us all that amidst all this hard and intentional work on others, we need to take sacred time for ourselves as well.
Judith
Thanks for the kind remarks, Judith. The instruction, combined with our cohort’s interaction, has pushed me to think more deliberately. The cohort has been incredibly transparent in this process, which I admire greatly. I’ve been in “unique” situations that have helped shape and refine my approach when coming alongside others. There is more to the “Pete” story than I shared. Chapters 2 and 3 continue to show positive results. Ultimately, I am just thankful to be part of “Pete’s” journey and how prayer can lead to larger and improved solutions.
BTW – it has taken me years to learn to take time for myself in a productive manner.