If you constantly find yourself being let down by your people, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.
First the bad news – it’s not easy to change people.
It’s a bit like the old joke. Do you know the one …
‘How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb?’
The answer is …
‘Just one. But It’s expensive, it takes a long time and the light has to want to change.’
Ba-boom! Mildly funny if it wasn’t for the fact that …
It’s EXACTLY the same with your people.
You can’t change them.
You can’t ‘make’ them do better or do different things.
All you can do is invite them …
And inspire them …
By modeling the behavior you seek to see in them.
This brings me to the good news.
The change you want to see in your people is 100% dependent on ‘who you are being’.
Pick one disappointing scenario to evaluate and think about it through these questions …
What is your mindset about the situation?
What is your mindset about this individual leading this initiative?
Based on your experience with this individual, what are your beliefs about their capacity to step up?
What are your expectations of them, related to this scenario?
Have you articulated and documented those expectations?
Do they include measurable results and deadlines, including interim checkpoints?
When was the last time you discussed these expectations?
How do these expectations get tracked and reported?
How often does that report show up on a dashboard?
Does this individual see or monitor that dashboard or report?
People live up to our expectations or they live down to them.
We can’t make them ‘step up’.
But we can invite them and inspire them by shifting our mindset, beliefs, attitude and expectations about them and their capacity to deliver.