Now that you know the value of growth leaders and how to spot the good ones, what do you do to keep them engaged? Entire books have been written on this topic, but let me touch on three key areas from my experience.
1) Ask them to go into new places and learn new things
If a request comes in from a customer that is clearly not in your normal line of business, but needs to be investigated, send them. When I was in components operations, a very good opportunity arose in automotive devices (which was outside our core competence of communications equipment) and I got tapped to go to Japan. Good growth leaders are naturally fast learners and have the intuition to see around corners that much of your staff would struggle with.
When you give them these out-of-the-box assignments, you are building your bench strength for the day when a critical issue comes up. Having invested in these folks, you have someone to call on when that key customer wants to fire you, or a supplier has just had a catastrophic issue that threatens your supply chain and ability to meet your commitments.
You need to make sure that your growth leaders get to conferences and shows that are outside of your four walls. You need these individuals to have an industry filter, and be on top of substitution threats to your product line, as well. Ask them to come back and brief your staff, using your existing business model map as the foundation. This will allow your team to benefit twofold – they will be on top of the latest trend, and they will get to know the growth leader.
When it’s time to staff a growth project, you will have the talent ready to go. In addition, if you’ve made wise investments, these leaders are bringing a steady stream of new ideas to the table for you to choose from. Every good growth leader I know keeps a rolling stash of investible hypotheses – ask to see them.
2) Ask them hard, integrated questions
Growth leaders need hard problems to solve, and it’s your job to ask hard questions that allow them to give their best. When a paradox presents itself, share it with them, and give them a tight deadline to respond. If, for example, a proposal request comes in that is outside your typical boundaries, but attractive to the sales force, have them do due diligence and report the results to you. When you have a key issue to solve that involves multiple functions, quickly assemble a task force and have them lead the efforts. Give them room to work, but insist on regular (sometimes daily) follow-up sessions. Do most of these 1:1 so you can coach as well as get informed.
It’s wise to not always accept the first idea – not every idea a growth leader creates is going to be golden. Keep drilling in and leading them to think even more deeply and specifically. Ask numeric questions from a couple of viewpoints, making sure to examine strategy and tactics from a granular and high level – in other words, cross up your line of inquiry.
Know that your best growth leaders may need time to think and may not be as verbal as some of their extraverted peers, so keep that in mind when considering the ideas and input you receive. Deadlines that allow some time to process are invaluable learning situations. You may also find that individuals who are quiet in group meetings may open up in a one-on-one setting, so mix up your formats to ensure that you’re getting the best from your group.
Lastly, don’t shield them from the complexities of the business issues raised by their out of the box thinking – maturity is formed in confronting the reality of what exactly a new line of business means for the company and workers. You should ask for careful impact assessments on current operations and staff before committing to any course of action. Teach them to think very critically and design small, survivable tests to confirm the unknowable.
3) Keep standards high
One of the key things to motivate this type of leader is to set the bar high and keep it there – you do the emerging leader no favors by backing off on an important objective, or rolling over to financial pressure that compromises quality or performance. In meetings these demanding requirements (and make sure they are requirements) is where your growth leaders will perfect their craft. Creativity in performance constraints is the forge where amazing personal growth occurs.
When they do step up to delivering to demanding requirements for an emergent market, these lessons will be the foundations for breaking through the inevitable issues and concerns of their team and the customer. When you have done a good job of emphasizing persistence and attention to detail, you will be surprised at what can be accomplished. High expectation and high support environments are critical to the creation of high performing, talented staff.
We have only begun to touch on the key ways to challenge and retain your talented, cross-functional talent. What tools or techniques have you used? Please send me a note or Tweet me @scottpropp.
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