I heard something today that made me shudder. I mean it absolutely made my skin crawl.
One of my "mentees" is looking for a job and he has an opportunity to go work for a company for which he's interned in the past. This would be his first career job, as in his very own "completely off mom and dad's payroll" job. I'm super proud of him for even being considered! I have seen him grow and begin to step up in volunteer roles time and time again. The kid totally deserves it. But that's not the part that elicited my shudder. In sharing with me about the opportunity, he mentioned some recon he's done with other staff and former staff members of the company. He learned that the President seems to be highly threatened by staff members obtaining higher education. In fact, this leader has gone so far as to sabotage team members by adding meetings to their schedules that conflict with their class commitments and flat out discouraging their applying to school. It is well-known within the company that she failed to earn a degree herself, and therefore discourages others from doing so. This factor has caused concern for my mentee and rightfully so. This is an entry-level position and he knows he wants to go back to school for his Master's degree to achieve his long-term professional goals. What's a young man (who desperately wants to just be able to pay his own car insurance) to do?
The conversation was painful for me to have. After all, as a mentor, I want him to begin to experience financial independence. I would also like him to join the professional world but ultimately I want what's best for him. So I was forced to give him the advice that any good mentor would give in this situation: the trusted "Use this as a Stepping-Stone" speech. Sure, we've all heard it. "Get in there and stay for a year," "Let it be a resume builder," "Work on your degree, at night, then leave the first chance you get!" This last line is exactly what the President is afraid will happen to her- that her people will become more marketable and she will be priced out of their professional future. Her implicit fear, while valid, is downright twisted and is one of the trademarks of a losing leader.
A losing leader always focuses on risks and deficits, and clings to the ways of old. A winning leader leverages what resources they have and embraces change. A losing leader fights to keep things comfortable while a winning leader creates positive ambiguity that pushes the team to their next great accomplishment. A losing leader collects people, holds them close, and hoards their talent. Winning leaders develop people, inspire their greatness and recognize that they are a gift to be shared with the world.
Leaders please don't fall into the fear-based trap of the president in this story. This approach will only leave you with two kinds of people: depressed loyalists and the stepping stoners (pun intended, since they've intentionally used this opportunity to get higher and move on). You will never retain first-class talent that will take your business or group to the next level by depressing gifts and growth. Quite the contrary, your best shot at retaining good folks is to invest in them, making them feel included and connected to something bigger than themselves. Still, your primary job is not to keep people. Your job is to lead people--to push and inspire them to achieve their highest potential, even if that surpasses you, your company or organization.
Inspire: To encourage someone to greater effort, enthusiasm, or creativity 2. To awaken a particular feeling in someone [Latin- inspirare "to breathe into"]
The Latin meaning behind the word is particularly powerful. "To breathe into" generates this amazing imagery of something or someone coming to life, going from pale grey to vibrant color. What if we begin to see ourselves as having this kind of power and responsibility as leaders? What if the president in this story saw her duty as a leader as breathing life into her team? What if she began to see past her fear of losing people and saw instead the infinite opportunity to invest in them and have faith in a return of immeasurable positive impact?
Setting your intention to inspire is a paradigm shift that could change the world, or at least someone's world. Is inspiration rolling down your hill?
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