The Will to Succeed

For the recent Easter break my family and I stayed with our good friends in the West Midlands. Whilst we were there the weather was conducive to us all spending virtually the whole time out in the garden which was just great.

Whilst we were getting on with various gardening tasks, I became aware of the activities of my son Edward and his friend George (both aged 8). Their aim appeared to be to get Edward to skateboard up to and over a ramp of some 45 degrees and 30 cm high, quite a feat when you are at the stage of being just able to propel yourself forward on a flat surface and stay upright! Now George had had the benefit of advice and practice with his older cousin during the past few weeks and ably demonstrated his skill and prowess to his friend. After his demonstration, George was keen for Edward to have a go too. What happened next was a superb example of coaching and feedback!

Although George was keen to show his skills and confidence in the task, he was also equally keen to help his friend succeed, too. Whilst his words may not always have been the most appropriate or kind (remember these are 8 year olds!), he demonstrated such positive intent that he engendered strong trust and attention from Edward. Also, by commenting on the things that were working, as well suggesting something to do differently next time, Edward didn't feel silly or incompetent when he didn't make the ramp or he fell off. Rather than feeling he was being laughed at, he thoroughly enjoyed the process of learning and feedback, laughed at his own mistakes and demonstrated a real need to want to keep trying (and has continued to do so since we got home!)

Tackling any new task or project that seems far out of our reach always brings a mixture of emotions to us, from excitement, to trepidation, to feeling overwhelmed and so on. Yet the sense of achievement when small accomplishments are made along the way is fabulous. Sharing in someone else's journey and celebrating their achievements can be just as much fun as experiencing it first hand and this is a massive part of any leader's role.

The every day rough and tumble of business can often mean that a leader can find themselves consumed in the treadmill of meetings, phone calls, emails and yet more meetings - and forget to take a look around them at the people in their team, who are each on their own journey of learning new tasks and projects.

How quickly we forget what it was like to learn new things! And how quickly we can forget the fun and joy of passing on our own feedback, wisdom and encouragement to someone else who is in the same boat we once were - and sharing in their satisfaction of having jumped another hurdle in business, that they previously thought impossible.

Your task this week: STOP! Take a look around you. Is there someone within your team who would benefit from having a "raving fan" on the sidelines, shouting and cheering encouragement and willing them to succeed? Then go do it! And watch how the results in your team will be accelerated - meaning instant payback for the individual, the business and you.

What are you waiting for?