Our #1 Leadership Rec? Be a Mentor
My first job during college was a hotel cashier. Honestly, I couldn’t stand it. On a whim, I asked my boss if I could try bartending.
“I guess if you’re legal age to serve alcohol, why not?” she responded.
I ended up bartending for the next 7 years, even while getting my Master’s in Aviation.
Decades later, I met up with this same boss in Atlanta. She told me how I helped her see things differently. After I started bartending, I had to learn three new functions at the hotel. She was now able to plug and play me wherever she had gaps … and she no longer had a stagnant employee.
There’s a lesson here for most leaders. If you don’t give people the chance to learn and grow, your organization will be stagnant, too. Create opportunities for your team, even if they fail. This is how you see what they can do, resolve issues faster, and continue bringing in fresh perspectives.
“If you don’t give people the chance to learn and grow, your organization will be stagnant, too.”
And another tip: Mentor your people to the point where they could become your replacement. That’s right: make sure that when new positions or opportunities open up at your organization, they are ready to take that next step forward.
Consider the alternative: one of your team applies for a new internal role and doesn’t get it. What happens? They become discouraged. They may even consider leaving the company.
So, how do you prepare your staff to be competitive for these roles?
Help them proactively understand what they need to work on. During regular supervision, find out how they want to grow, invest in coaching for them (if your budget allows for it), and position them to be ready for that next career jump at your organization.
If hiring a coach for your team members isn’t in the budget right now, an employee’s direct supervisor can be a great mentor and coach them through their current gaps.
During performance assessments, be clear about what you’re looking for to help them get promoted. Encourage them to step outside the box, take on different projects, and find ways to do things differently.
What would have happened if my old boss never gave me the chance to bartend? I wouldn’t have stuck around for 7 years, that’s for sure. And she wouldn’t have had a versatile employee able to fill a number of roles at the organization. That’s why the best leaders are also the best mentors—they know that investing in their team’s growth is investing in their company’s success.