Our consultants here at Rhythm Systems are always trying to help our clients think about the future of their organizations and plan to have the right people in the right roles as the company implements Winnings Moves to double the business in 3-5 years. Aside from identifying future needs and hiring experts to fill those roles, a big piece of planning for the future organization is to coach the team they currently have in place to grow into leaders capable of managing a company twice the size of the company they currently run. At the Growth Summit in Las Vegas, Ram Charan challenged the audience to think about how each of us could double our personal capacity in 3 years, and this fits in nicely with our emphasis on helping our clients skate to where the puck is going to be in terms of their leadership skills and capabilities.
If you are honest, when you think about doubling your personal capacity, do you start to panic a little bit? I have to admit that was my initial reaction - there is no way I can take on double the work! My head will explode, and I will have no time for a personal life! However, doubling the workload is not what Ram Charan has in mind with his question. He challenged us to think about how we could grow into people and leaders who are twice as capable as we are today.
•Practice extreme focus. Identify the area of capability and three or four specific skills that you want to improve. Then, spend a disproportionate amount of your time working on these skills.
•Make a plan for how you are going to accomplish your goal to improve those specific skills and capabilities. This is your Path of Progress; you don’t need to do everything now, you just need to plan out your steps and get started on the first thing.
•Seek out experts (like a coach) who could help you learn what you need to know to master the skills and capabilities. Find the right resources to help you get where you want to go.
•Find an accountability buddy to help you stay on track with your Path of Progress to achieve your goals. Check in with the person every week to update them on your progress toward increasing your personal capabilities.
•Surround yourself with people who make you want to get better, and help those around you get better, too. Put a rhythm of accountability around increasing personal capabilities in place in your organization so that this is part of your culture, something you and your team are always thinking about and working on together.
•Don’t be afraid to hire people who are better and smarter than you are. Think about the future of your organization and get the right team in place so that you are ready.
For more information about how to increase your personal capacity or how to coach your team to grow as leaders who are prepared to lead your organization in the future, download Patrick Thean’s eBook: The Right People Decisions Lead to Great Execution.