The Leader’s Greatest Return summary

Let’s say you need to find a new player for a high-school basketball team. How would you go about it? 

You could ask the first tall kid you see. But what if he is no good on the court? That won’t work. Or maybe you’ve heard about a really good point guard. You sign them up only to find out that the team already has someone who’s great in this role.

In an earlier blink, we learned that talent and a good track record are some of the qualities that will help you spot a potential leader. But these two things alone won’t turn a potential leader into a great leader. After all, there are many talented people whose careers fizzle out.

Aspiring leaders need something to push them and keep them moving forward. This is where motivation and habit come in.

Have you ever heard of a writers’ group?

Its members meet regularly to share their writing projects and give each other feedback. Crucially, they hold each other accountable for practising and growing their skill, and this helps every one of them improve their craft.

Picture a child learning how to swim. They start out at the shallow end of a pool, where an adult gives them some equipment, shows them what to do, and offers encouragement. The child carries on learning and practising, until, eventually, she moves on confidently to the deep end. 

When you set out to train leaders, keep these swimming lessons in mind. Just like the adult in this scenario, you need to provide budding leaders with the right tools and environment.

Good leaders do not emerge overnight. A lot of time and effort goes into the process of leadership development. 

After all the lessons and practice, all the losses and satisfying wins, wouldn’t it be a complete waste if your newly trained leader was never allowed to do what you’ve taught them to? It would be like investing in a thoroughbred racehorse, training him, but never putting him in a race! 

What’s better than one good leader? The answer is two, three, maybe even four good leaders. 

The more leaders you have working together, the better the results. This is why you should encourage your new leaders to build a leadership team.

We’ve already learned that having more people with leadership skills is a definite advantage. We have also gone through the steps you need to take if you want to develop leaders in an organization. But, as a leader yourself, you’re under constant pressure. You never have enough time and resources. There are only so many leaders that you can personally take under your wing and develop. 

Does this sound familiar? And does this mean that you’ll never have more than a few leaders in your organization? Not at all. There is a way to work around those limitations.