A quote I like on the subject is that “Leadership can not be taught, but it can be learned”. This addresses the idea that people have really got to buy-into the benefits of leadership for themselves in order to grow and be effective. We can teach most people mechanical techniques like estimation and risk management best practices, but when it comes to the humanistic based techniques, they need to be embraced and believed by the practitioner to be effective.

So how do we get this to happen? When I’m feeling lazy I am tempted to revert back to the idea that we should just focus on the people who “get-it” by mentoring and supporting people willing to absorb these ideas and leave the skeptics to their own self-limiting environments. Getting the “right people on the bus” certainly has its place, but as leaders we also have a duty to help develop the best from our team members.

Another attendee last night pointed me to the book “Powerful Project Leadership” and the quote “Managers use people to accomplish work; leaders use work to grow people”. I like this a lot. My take is that we have an obligation to lay an appealing trail of breadcrumbs to lead people along the path of figuring-out stuff for them selves.

What the breadcrumbs look like and where they go depends on the skills and needs of the person, but a reasonable starting process would be:

1. Ask them what they want to do
2. Ask them how they feel about areas for improvement
3. Provide resources (training, books, mentoring) in areas they have an interest for
4. Encourage “outsight” (input from people outside the organization) in their development
5. Checkpoint regularly about how the process is going and if their goals have changed

For reluctant team members the process will be slow to start as responses of “Nothing” and “Nothing” to the first two questions are hard to build on. However, with some creativity and knowledge of their roles some mutually agreed to development areas, even if very small, should be possible to identify.

Not everyone wants an aggressive development program; sometimes people have enough change in their lives that work is their last vestige of sanctuary. However, most people recognize they should not stand still for long and a development plan will not only help with their career development, but is a tangible example of investment in their welfare by the organization or team.

So while I still believe this leadership stuff needs to be truly believed to be grasped and used effectively, I hope there are ways we can assist with the learning process to help people get there quicker.