In episode 169, “How to Grow Leaders”, we interview Lonnie Pollard, a team building expert, and talk about how to grow leaders, face adversity, and build strong teams. We discuss systems and strategies that work for any team. We begin our book study mini series over Dale Carnegie’s book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age” in episode 151. Learn how to develop soft skills needed to have a positive impact, lead others well, and help point others to Christ.
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Have Strong Convictions
Hard Truth #1: Leadership can be lonely. With the right mindset, there is a way to lift this burden of loneliness. Want to know this not-so-secret? It’s having strong convictions. In episode 169, we bring in Lonnie Pollard, an expert in flipping programs, streamlining programs, and building strong systems. His sage advice has carried him through the years and has helped him sleep through the night.
Lonnie says that mentally preparing yourself for a leadership role also needs to come with preparation for a bit of loneliness from time to time. As Christian leaders, we need to embrace the road we’re on. Coaching with a Christian lens with a Christian moral compass is hard work, and worth it. This news of loneliness shouldn’t shock us; check out this Bible verse:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Matthew 7:13-14
Narrow. Hard. Few. This is the path that is laid out for Christian leaders, but by God’s grace we will press on, run the race, and work hard for God. Loneliness shouldn’t surprise us; it’s an indicator we’re doing something right.
Developing Team Focus
If you’re a leader, you know what “buy in” is, and you want it bad. You want your children to buy into good behavior. We want our coworkers to buy in at working towards the common goal. Hard Truth #2: There are people who will refuse to buy in. The solution is that you may have to make hard decisions, while sticking with your convictions.
This can look like no longer enabling your wayward child, letting the toxic person go, or revamping systems in your company. All decisions need to be vetted through your Christian lens and moral compass, and based on the good of the team working toward a common goal.
When learning how to grow leaders, we need to think of the whole person. Our interviewee in episode 169 says it best, “What is going to make that person better as they move forward in life? Period. Do what is right. This is better and bigger than yourself.”
Uphold your Biblical moral code and do what you can to make others better. Part of being a great leader is making the person a whole better, not just making them better at a certain task (there is a time and a place for that).
Goal Setting Steps
Hard Truth #3: Many people don’t know how to create realistic goals for themselves and their teams. The solution is guided goal setting. Think about where are you now vs. where you want to be, and then reverse engineer it. This is when you get to the specifics and start your roadmap to success (as individual and as a team).
- Focus on specifics
- Have a plan and write it down
- Find key tactics
- Make changes as needed
- Work on these in meetings and trainings
- Pivot and hone in on strengths
In this part of episode 169, “How to Grow Leaders”, Lonnie talk about how to navigate these conversations, and how to tell people what you need from them in order for them to grow as well as the team. Encourage your people to be coachable and selfless.
Goals should be specific and worked on every single day to some degree. Talk about why goal setting is important. Keep the goals top of mind with the use of vision boards, writing it down, or putting the goal somewhere you’ll see often. See our Switch On Your Brain Mini Series to learn more about why this works.
Leadership Team
Hard Truth #4: If you don’t have a leadership team, you’re hurting the group. The solution is to find a person or group of people who understand what you’re trying to do and have bought into what you’re doing. This can look like someone who is in an adjacent position, team captains, assistant principals, etc… Once you have them, make sure you’ve set clear expectations of what their roles look like. PRO TIP: Use team language.
Take the opportunities to learn from others no matter how experienced or inexperienced they are in their field. Get fresh ideas, and give your leadership team the opportunity to lead. Praise them when they do good things, and always give credit and encouragement. When you’re choosing your leaders, choose someone who gets after it daily, has strong convictions, and continues to push hard.
Another great quote from our interviewee on how to grow leaders: “A leadership role is about building other leaders; give them a chance to step up and lead something. You’re growing leaders, not growing followers. Teach them to be advocates. Have an open door policy, and always listen. Always work it out and find solutions. You have to be open to talk to everybody about everything.”
Overcoming Adversity
Hard Truth #5: Adversity is coming. The solution? Control your response. YOu can’t change the situation or what has happened, and as the leader, you can’t push that on others in a negative manner. Here are some quick tips for then the weather isn’t so great:
- Be honest
- Be positive
- Work as a team
- Tweak goals as needed
You will have losing seasons, but you must do your best to not let it negatively affect your team. Keep pushing and fight the good fight. Let the circumstance bring you together instead of driving you apart. Learning to overcome adversity is a skill set that will be needed the rest of our lives. Teach them how to do this well. Never lose sight of your Christian moral compass.
We hope you enjoyed episode 169, “How to Grow Leaders” and that you have practical, actionable steps you can take. Be sure to check out this entire How to Win Friends mini series about how to have a positive impact, lead others well, and help point others to Christ. You can do this! We’re here to help. Click the affiliate image below to get your copy of Dale Carnegies’ book.
