In order to run a successful organization, a popular piece of advice among entrepreneurs is to surround yourself with people who have a knack for getting things done. Those team players who have a drive for success and who believe in the organization’s vision. But this advice can go even deeper than that: people are not going to give their 100% if they don't feel that their own needs are being met. In other words, people will care about the organization if they trust that the organization also cares about them. People need to know they matter. They also need to know and trust they belong to the right organization. This is where leadership opportunities come in.
Every organization comprises a diverse group of individuals. Some are worker bees, content with remaining the same year after year. These folks don’t want more responsibility or to learn anything new, they only desire a paycheck. Others show up for the sake of being responsible but who really wish they didn't have to be there. Some people feel frustrated with their jobs, thinking they could steer the ship better than those currently in charge, but rather choose to just go with the flow. Then there are the motivated ones, those who have ambitions with long-term goals, who plan, strategize, and try to make things happen, and who generally get recognized as those people whom organizations want to have on board.
Unfortunately, there are others who slip under the radar and for whom recognition falls through the cracks. These individuals could become excellent leaders, be more effective with their abilities, and achieve a great deal more—they simply lack the opportunity to demonstrate their true potential. These are the people who keep things moving but get taken for granted and get overlooked for new opportunities as they quietly plug along. It is in this latter category of untapped potential that would help organizations flourish more readily if they only knew how to better identify these folks and foster their success.
People are often capable of more than their current opportunities allow. But this does not simply mean that people should shoulder a larger workload than their job currently requires, an approach that leads to unfairly overworking and abusing them. But rather, it means that people can often be trusted with greater leadership opportunities and be provided with enhanced training, something that would happen if those in charge were better trained to delegate and to lead more properly. If the leadership at the top is weak, the entire organization will also be weak.
Those individuals who are reliable, consistent, show up with a positive attitude, and easily get along with others are generally considered as prime candidates for leadership opportunities. It is important to consider, however, those individuals who are less obvious—they could actually surprise you with their ability to produce incredible ideas and to exercise leadership. The motivated standouts in an organization are of course a valuable resource for success, but looking a little deeper for those whose capabilities go unseen because of limited opportunity will help it flourish. Furthermore, those other individuals previously mentioned (the worker bees, the paycheck people, the responsible ones, and the frustrated ones), all have the potential to turn into something more. It begs for organizations to take a closer look at where these individuals could have their efforts and outlooks developed further.
The more people having a collective interest in the organization and the stronger everyone’s skills are, the more successful the organization will be. When everyone at every level and every department is working toward a collective vision they feel is important and has a cause they feel they can truly support, the organization and the larger community greatly benefit. The more success an organization has on the inside, the more success it will have on the outside. It all begins with strengthening leadership.
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