Adding value to the leaders around you through purposeful development is one of your most important responsibilities as a leader. 

What Will You be Measured By? 

Leaders today are measured by many different metrics. Organizational success, financial success, wins & losses, number of books sold, approval rating, and social media following. There is no doubt that some of these metrics present valuable pictures of who leaders are and where they stand in comparison to their competition. However, none of the aforementioned metrics are as valuable to a leader’s current organization or future legacy as how skillfully they invest in their people. 

There are some phenomenal examples of leaders developing others within their organization in the world of professional sports. First, in the NFL, we see the case of Super Bowl 54 winning head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs. Reid has mentored 10 former assistant coaches who have become head coaches in the league (Breer, 2018). Then, in the NBA, we see the archetypal example of coaching legend, Greg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. Popovich was recently named to the NBA’s list of 15 greatest coaches of all time (NBA, 2022). Of the 30 current NBA head coaches, six (⅕ of the league), are former Popovich assistants. Astoundingly, Popovich’s leadership legacy doesn’t end there. His coaching tree includes another five former NBA head coaches who used to be on his staff, as well as one current head coach, and one former head coach who played on his teams (Aboy, 2022). That’s a total leadership development tally of 13 NBA head coaches that Popovich invested in. Incredible. 

Wins and losses are indeed a metric that many professional coaches are measured by, but leadership is about much more than wins & losses. The human element of leading people means that a more accurate measurement of leadership is how well leaders develop the leaders around them. 

The Importance of Developing Your People 

So far we’ve examined the importance of purposeful leadership development in professional sports. This is only one microcosm, albeit a popular one, of leadership development. Now, let’s look at leadership as a broad category. 

For the past 40 years, Jon Maxwell has been one of the most well-renowned voices in leadership & business literature. In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (2012) Maxwell details the importance of developing the potential leaders within your organization. Laws 13, 20, & 21: “the Law of empowerment”, “the Law of explosive growth”, and “the Law of legacy”, respectively highlight the importance of growing leadership influence, organizational health, and leadership legacy by developing other leaders. 

Here are some pertinent quotes about developing your people from The 21 Irrefutable laws of leadership (2012): 

•  “The bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.” (Maxwell, 2012). 
• “A leader who produces other leaders multiplies their influences” (Maxwell, 2012). 
• “When leaders fail to empower others, it is usually due to three main reasons: 1. Desire for Job Security, 2. Resistance to Change, 3. Lack of Self-Worth“ (Maxwell, 2012).
• “The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him (or her) but the number of people he (or she) serves.” (Maxwell, 2012) 

How to Develop Leaders in Your Organization 

Quotes are great. They can spark a flame of inspiration and excitement. But, quotes won’t help you develop the leaders in your organization nearly as much as strategies and consistency will.

There are no two ways about it, developing the leaders around you can be demanding. It will take your energy and effort. It may cost you some money. It may even keep you up late at night every so often. But I promise you that it will be worthwhile to you and those that you serve in your organization. The reality is that you have a plethora of skills and experiences that those in your organization will benefit from learning. Taking the time to share your wisdom with them will only serve to increase their confidence and leadership potential. 

Tips for Purposefully Developing the Leaders Around You 

• Develop a culture of leadership within your organization – Teach the members of your organization how to have good listening skills, to care for others, to be selfless, and to do the smallest of tasks with precision. 
• Encourage new ideas and projects – Have an open door policy for hearing new ideas, provide honest feedback about the ideas, and work on developing ideas that will add organizational value based on the mission & vision. 
• Make mentorship groups – Connect others inside and outside of your organization for the purpose of increasing both knowledge and skills which relate to either individual job roles or leadership capacity.  
• Choose a few leaders to mentor personally – Select members of your organization who have potential and are hungry to learn.

How to Mentor Other Leaders 

• Share your experiences – Be honest. 
• Be a sounding board for the ideas and goals of mentees.
• Provide resources – Share books, studies, and websites that have been impactful for you or that you have been learning from recently. 
• Help mentees develop their “strength zones” Maxwell (2014) – Everyone has talents, help your leaders to develop theirs, and enable them to work within their strength zones. 
• Pick up the phone – When you see that a mentee is calling or receive a message from them, answer them as soon as possible. They will benefit from applying your wisdom directly to their projects and so will your organization. On a deeper level, more meaningful mentoring takes place when mentors are there to care for their people, through difficult life experiences. 
• Create pathways for those that you mentor to thrive – Use your organizational influence. Are there projects that you can assign mentees in order to help them grow within their strength zones? What project ideas do mentees have that you can bolster to give them greater ownership and buy-in, within your organization?
  

Here’s the point: True leaders can be measured by the amount that they invest in their people. Be a leader who develops other leaders. Doing so will help to create lasting relationships with those in your organization. Developing the leaders around you will make them better. The value that you add to your people will help them to feel fulfilled within your organization. Fulfilled team members are more likely to buy into their roles for longer periods of time. Which will in turn, will increase the capacity and success of your organization. 

References

Aboy, A. (2022, March 12). Gregg Popovich’s coaching tree: Which current NBA coaches have come up under the winningest coach in league history? The Sporting News. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/gregg-popovich-coaching-tree-current-coaches/xebsncwfepxylmbg7fagej2u

American Management Association. (2014, November 28). AMA’s Top 30 Leaders in Business of 2014. https://www.amanet.org/articles/ama-s-top-30-leaders-in-business-of-2014/

Breer, A. (2018, November 15). Why the Andy Reid Coaching Tree Has Been So Successful. Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/11/15/andy-reid-coaching-tree-doug-pederson-sean-mcdermott-ron-rivera-matt-nagy-steve-spagnuolo-john-harbaugh

Carnegie, D. (1936). How to Win Friends & Influence People. Simon & Schuster.  

Forbes. (2020). Leadership Guru John Maxwell Shares Why So Many Leaders Are Pointed In The Wrong Direction. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2020/01/28/leadership-guru-john-maxwell-shares-why-so-many-leaders-are-pointed-in-the-wrong-direction/?sh=7313e9e044f7

Maxwell, J. C. (2008). Mentoring 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know. HarperCollins Leadership.

Maxwell, J. C. (2012). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. HarperCollins Leadership.

Maxwell, J. C. (2014). Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. Center Street. 

National Basketball Association. (2022). NBA 75: Top 15 Coaches in League History Revealed. National Basketball Association. https://www.nba.com/news/nba-75-top-15-coaches-league-history

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. It was a pleasure spending time with you today.

Peace & Blessings, 

– Josiah