The video below is one of the best leadership videos I’ve seen. It gives a simple model for how to create and manage a high-performing environment.
Brett Ledbetter is a thinking partner with some of the top coaches and athletes in the world
He said an NBA GM was asked, “What is your role inside the organization?” and his response was, “My job is to build an environment where people can do their best work.”
What is the most important thing you can do as a leader to build an environment where people can do their best work?”
Brett said it comes back to three things: How you define, manage, and model your expectations.
Defining is proactive. Managing is restive, and modeling happens all the time.
Define
Neil Armstrong once said, “If you’re an inch off in landing, no big deal. If you’re an inch off on takeoff, you miss the moon by a million miles.”
What are the expectations that you need to define? The best leaders clearly define what success or appropriate behaviors look like and what it doesn’t look like.
Manage
Once you’ve done that, you have to manage the behaviors by catching and rewarding good ones and catching and converting bad ones. Managing involves teaching, coaching, and giving positive and constructive feedback.
Model
Our actions send signals, and those signals are greater than our words. Once you’ve defined your expectations, you have to model them all the time. Too often, we send mixed signals.
We eliminate mixed signals by being consistent.
Anything we are asking our team, we need to be the model.
What you do is so loud that nobody can hear what you say.
Brett says a tool to use when thinking about how you are modeling behaviors is:
If I want them to ___________, then I need to __________.
As a leader, if I want my people to show up on time and prepared, then I need to, if I want them to do their job with excellence and integrity, then I need to, and if I want them to add value by bringing a positive energy and attitude every day, then I need to.
As a coach, if I want my athletes to have a fighter’s mindset instead of a victim's mindset, then I do. If I want my athletes to stay competitive but keep a level head, then I need to.
As a father, if I want my kids to keep the house and their rooms clean, then I need to.
As a husband, if I want grace, then I need to give grace.
We get what we define, manage, and model.
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