Protecting Employees Doesn't Help

The desire to protect employees isn’t the problem. It’s acting on it in perpetuity; that’s the problem.

Team members are less effective when you shade them from hard tasks, discomfort, truth, and struggle.

This week is for you if you have ever struggled with protecting or micromanaging.

What it means:

Effectiveness and performance are caught on the line of preparation, not protection.

You don’t become great at something because you want to. You become great at it because you are tested. After all, iron sharpens iron. Instead of running from tests, embrace them.

If you’re a leader, create challenging environments to test skills and build resiliency.

What it means:

I used to think my primary responsibility as a young parent was to keep my children safe. To fly around like a helicopter parent, ensuring they didn’t get hurt. One day, a mentor saw how I was acting around my young son, and he pulled me aside and said something I will never forget: “Your job as a parent isn’t to keep your kids safe; it’s to make them courageous.”

The point is that if all a parent does is keep their kids safe, they won’t know courage, which is simply being scared and deciding to do it anyway. Your job as a leader is to provide opportunities for team members to act with the courage that’s required.

What it means:

The best leaders know they must help people reach a stage of development that exceeds where they are today. To do that requires coaching and understanding the boundaries of where team members are comfortable.

Because comfort and growth don’t coexist.

All growth starts at the end of your comfort zone. So, by definition, if you're operating inside of comfortability, you aren’t getting better. But people in uncomfortable situations and watch them rise to the occasion.

Regards,

John Eades | CEO LearnLoft

P.S. The Accelerate Sales Leadership Workshop was a hit last week in Denver. We helped 40+ sales managers become sales leaders. Here is a brief overview if, you think there is an opportunity to help sales managers in your organization.

You Think Protecting Employees Helps, But It’s a Sign of Weak Leadership (Blog)

The Best Leaders Serve (Video)

You might overlook them at first.

The best leaders aren’t the ones seeking the spotlight.

They’re the ones lifting others up. They put the needs of their team ahead of their own. They’re not just leading...they’re serving.

And that’s where true leadership shines.

Because when leaders serve, everyone grows.

The 64-Day Excellence Planner

The odds are that you started this year with all the right intentions, goals, and maybe even a plan, but you have not executed well on that to date. While no planner can do the work for you, the 64-Day Excellence Planner will help.

Now is the time to turn your focus and productivity around. Introducing the 64-Day Excellence Planner, meticulously crafted to mirror the strategies of high performers. Select the planner or program that best fits your needs and use the code “newsletter” to get 20% off.

1. 64-Day Excellence Planner (Digital only $19.99 this month)

2. 64-Day Excellence Planner Wirebound

3. 64-Day Excellence Program

Today’s Leadership Poll:

Provide your insight into today’s poll and be entered to win a free digital copy of the 64-Day Excellence Planner. The winner is to be announced next week!

Here are some ways we could work together:

Roll out the Accelerate Leadership System - Only 15% of new managers receive training, and 60% of leaders fail within 18 months. Instead of hoping your most talented people figure out how to be leaders, now is the time to show them how. Introducing the Accelerate Leadership System: Provide your managers with the foundation to be successful with tailored examples, tools, and stories to fit your company culture. Ideal for managers, supervisors, and executives in groups of 8+.

Skill Mastery Workshops - Provide 2-hour virtual or in-person skill mastery workshops to groups of 8+. Focus on skills like Accountability, Coaching, Relationship Building, Strategic Decision Making, Time Management, Team Execution, Retention, Recruiting, Leadership Fundamentals, or Change Management.

1:1 Executive Leadership Coaching—Get 1:1 coaching to improve performance. Coaching programs are six months long and include a LearnLoft-certified coach. They are perfect for one executive or a group of executives who aren’t meeting their potential.

Speaking - We’re now booking keynotes for Q3 & Q4. Reply to this note or fill out the form here, and our team will be in touch to discuss topics, availability, and pricing.