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It's Only Common Sense: A Simple Framework for Elevating Your Employees

One of the great things about being a manager (and not just a sales manager) is the opportunity to mentor, challenge, educate, lead, and most importantly, inspire the members of your team to do things they did not think they could do. You can help them achieve a level of accomplishment they did not realize they could.

As a manager and leader, you should always be evaluating the members of your team to find their talents both internal and external. Watch and study them to see what they are good at, what inspires them, and what makes their hearts sing.

Once you discover those special passions in each person, start helping them find a way to use those passions to enhance your department and company, as well as themselves.

One member might be a great writer, another fantastic at social media. You might have team members who are solid with numbers, are great organizers or perhaps confident speakers and communicators.

One thing I can guarantee is that every member of your team is good at something; each has a special talent. If you have done your hiring properly (as every great leader should), each one is in some way smarter than you are.

So, discover their particular gifts and talents. The best way to do this is by talking with them. Remember, your responsibility as a leader is to bring out the best in your people, to encourage them to take their skills and talents to the next level. Learn everything you can about the people in your charge. You are literally in the position of being the steward—not only of their talents but their careers as well. They will, of course, pass onto the next step in their career path, but you can be instrumental in having a significant impact on their careers and their lives while they are under your wing. Spend quality time with each of them, learning about what they do within your department as well as some things they like to do on their own time. Probably the most important way to get to know them better is to find out what they like to do when they are not at work.

Armed with that knowledge, start to delegate. Here are some examples:

• If someone is good at writing and creating, delegate them to writing and creating your sales literature, working on your website, or maybe your marketing
• If they have a large social media presence, ask them to handle your company’s social media
• If they are very organized, ask them to develop a project tracking system for your department
• If they are great at strategy, ask them to work on your company’s strategic marketing plan

This will not only encourage your team members to do what they are good at, but a valuable byproduct is that it allows you to do other things, a “twofer,” if you will. In the end, it is the absolute right way to manage and lead people.

Once you have set up these assignments, stick to them. Trust your team members to do it on their own with full responsibility. You will still coach, guide, encourage, and inspire them along the way but let them take the lead. You can even let them stumble as well. Making mistakes is a valuable part of the learning process, especially when someone is taking on something they have not done before.

Always be watching and evaluating as they take on the new assignments you have given them. Check their progress to ensure you were correct in assigning them tasks that make their heart sing.

Occasionally, someone will be given the opportunity to do something they thought they would like to do, and later realize it wasn’t for them. That’s okay because discovery is also valuable.

With those who start to thrive with the assignments you have given them, who are succeeding and honestly discovering their true calling, start encouraging them to reach the next level. Make the effort to help elevate them find their next level.

An example might be sponsoring them to positions of leadership in either your jurisdiction or in other parts of the company. You have already helped them become proficient enough to be valuable to the company, now sponsor and recommend them for higher positions in the company.

If you seriously commit yourself to delegating and elevating your team members, you will not only improve your own department and your company, but you will also make a very powerful impact on their lives and careers. That is what being a great leader is all about.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.