How do you attract the best people? I think this is the most commonly asked question of the leaders I work with. Note that the best are attracted, not recruited.
And the simple, unfair truth is:
The more great people you have, the more great people you get!
The best get more than they need, the neediest can’t find anybody! So how do YOU become the person with a line up of A-players wanting to join your team? Here are my suggestions for you:
Let go of your ego
I can’t think of a single big ego person who has assembled a team of great people around them. It’s not that they have no one, but they like to think of themselves as giants surrounded by dwarves. There are people scurrying around them, but these subordinates don’t emerge as strong leaders in their own right. Big egos suck oxygen out of the room and never foster an environment where talent is incubated.
Think of the big ego leaders you know and try to tell me I’m wrong. It’s not about you! Stop talking about yourself and your accomplishments! Talk about the team and how everyone is going to win… together!
Grow yourself
It always starts with you. High lid people attract other high lid people.
I’m actually going to say that if you develop yourself well, great people are going to surround you naturally. When you rise, you take everyone around you along for the ride. Whenever you add a skill to your toolbox, you take it with you for your whole life.
Personally mentor your key people
Don’t mentor everyone. I’m talking about your key leaders, or those you see as becoming those folks. Don’t waste your time working with the whiners who don’t even want to go anywhere. Instead, work with your winners and help them lift their lids even higher.
Take action with senior level underperformers
Insist that your top leaders bleed the core values and are highly productive in their roles. If they sink, the whole organization droops along with them. So, take action quickly and don’t let problems with your key people fester.
If you do these things, you’ll find that your teams will grow, you stresses will ease, and life will get happier and more productive.
As I’ve said so many times, the secret to a happier life is to:
Increase the amount of wonderful people around you.
And
Decrease the amount of difficult/toxic people around you.
That’s it!
Getting ahead is about getting started!
If you’d like Trevor to speak at your upcoming event, drop him a note at [email protected] for a no obligation discussion about what you’re looking to accomplish@
Trevor Throness is a speaker, consultant, and author of “The Power of People Skills.” He is also co-founder and senior instructor at professionalleadershipinstitute.com https://professionalleadershipinstitute.com/
Find more about “The Power of People Skills” here: https://www.amazon.com/Power-People-Skills-Dramatically-Performance/dp/1632651068
