Under senhösten och vinterlovet har jag läst min första bok av John C Maxwell. Developing Leaders Around You. Mycket i den bekräftade sådant som jag upplevt eller har anat. Boken satte också ord på känslor, ideér och tolkningar som jag haft i min utveckling som ledare och av att utveckla andra. Jag fick den själv rekommenderad av min fd kollega Henrik och nu vill jag rekommendera den till dig. En nypa salt fick jag ta till ibland då John är djupt religiös. Det är inte jag. Alls.

Ett par passager vill jag dela med mig av ur boken och den är på engelska så jag låter dem vara kvar på originalspråket. Enjoy!

Momentum is the greatest of all change agents. More than 90 percent of the successful changes instituted have been the result of creating momentum before asking people to change. To maximize the value of momentum, leaders must:
(1) develop an appreciation for early
(2) know the key ingredients of it immediately
(3) pour resources into it always.

The Leader´s crucial task: Nurturing potential leaders
I use the acronym BEST as a reminder of what people need when they get started with my organization. They need me to:
B elieve in them.
E encourage them.
S hare with them.
T rust them.
Nurturing has the ability to transform people´s lives.

Add Significance: No one wants to spend his time doing work that is unimportant. People want to do work that matters. A one-sentence mental exercise that is an effective tool in helping a person identify his dream is this:
If I had………………………………………..I would……………………………………….
Your answer to that question is your dream.

All good leaders have a dream. All great leaders share their dream with others who can help them make it a reality. We must:
Dare to dream – Have the desire to do something bigger than yourself.
Prepare the dream – Do your homework, be ready when the opportunity comes.
Wear the dream – Do it.
Share the dream – Make others part of the dream, and it will become even greater than you had hoped.

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. You can´t turn people loose without structure, but you also want them to give them enough freedom to be creative. The way to do that is to give them the big three: Responsibility, Authority and Accountability.
Regarding authority – I have found there are different levels of authority: Position, Competence, Personality, Integrity and Spirituality.
Give your people the tools the need. Check on them systematically – discuss feelings, measure progress, give feedback and encouragement.

Usually poor performance is a result of one of three things: a) a mismatch between the job and the person; b) inadequate training or leadership; or c) deficiencies in the person performing the work.

The greatest leader is willing to train people and develop them to the point that they eventually surpass him och her in knowledge and ability.
The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.
Developing leaders is an art.

Personal growth is like investing. It´s not your timing. It´s your time in.
Apply quickly what you learn. Where, when and how can I use this? Try this system:
* Select one thing each week that I´ve learned.
* Put it on a 3×5 card (I keep it in front of me for a week)
* Share it with my wife.
* Share it with someone else within 24 hours.
* Teach it to someone else.

People respond differently to development, and I have found from personal experience that each person who does grow will plateau at one of six levels:
1. Some growth
2. Growth that makes them capable in their job
3. Growth that make them able to reproduce themselves in their job
4. Growth that takes them to a higher-level job
5. Growth that allows them to take others higher
6. Growth that allows them to handle any job
When you are a developer of people, you meet each person on the level where you find them, then you begin a journey. Your job is to walk alongside that person and help him for as long as he is willing to keep going and growing. When that person stops growing, that´s when you have to do something difficult: You have to leave that person behind. Your relationship can continue, but your development of that person won´t. This is difficult, but it´s a price worth paying in order to develop people.