"Leaders, Are you Looking for Worth and Potential or Just Productivity?"

“Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves.” 

^{(Stephen R. Covey [Twitter], August 25, 2020)}

 THE MEAT (The Main Idea)

This quote cuts to the core of compelling leadership. True leaders have a remarkable ability to articulate the value and possibilities within each person. But what exactly does it mean to communicate "worth" and "potential"? 

Worth isn't just about titles or salaries (say it louder for the people in the back). 

It's about feeling valued for your unique skills and perspectives (say it louder for the people on the pedestals). 

A leader who recognizes someone's strengths and contributions fosters a sense of worth within the person. Potential goes beyond what someone can do today. It's about the unseen talents and abilities waiting to be discovered. Leaders who understand this potential can provide opportunities and challenges that help people stretch their skills and reach new heights. By effectively communicating both worth and potential, leaders create a powerful motivator: SELF-BELIEF.

But how do they achieve this shift in perspective? This is where we dive into the cheese of the quote, exploring specific communication strategies that unlock a person's potential.

THE CHEESE (Added Depth)

Before we dive head first into the deeper depths of this quote, it's important to acknowledge that simply recognizing someone's worth and potential, while crucial, won't make you a great leader. Great leaders possess a broader skillset that includes strong content knowledge, strategic thinking, and facilitated decision-making. 

To understand how recognizing worth and potential can significantly impact workplace engagement, we can look at the Gallup Q12 assessment. This tool directly measures employee engagement through 12 questions that gauge an organization's ability to recognize individual value, potential, and role clarity. These questions strongly align with Covey's notion of leadership, as they directly address communicating an employee's worth and potential through recognizing strengths and offering opportunities for growth.

For instance, the question, "At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day" (Q12 #3) directly taps into an employee's sense of worth. When someone feels their strengths are recognized and utilized, they are more likely to feel valued and engaged (Gallup.com). Similarly, the question, "In the last 6 months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress" (Q12 #11) addresses potential. Regular discussions about growth and progress show that the organization sees potential in its employees and is committed to their development (Gallup.com). 

Recognizing worth and potential is a very powerful tool in a leader's arsenal. It sends a clear message: 

"I SEE YOU." 
"I HEAR YOU." 

This not only boosts individual morale but also fosters a more engaged and successful workplace focused on people, not production. The secret is- if you focus on people, Gallup says your productivity will naturally increase. 

So, how can you become better at wielding this tool? Here are some practical tips to help you recognize and communicate worth and potential effectively: 

Provide Specific Feedback (communicate value):

Regularly give specific feedback that acknowledges the unique contributions and strengths of your team members. Ken Blanchard, author of The One-Minute Manager, recommends normalizing the "One-Minute praise." Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and how it helps the organization and the other people who work there. Stop for a moment of silence to let them feel how good you feel about it. Encourage them to do more of the same. 

Facilitate Growth Opportunities (communicate potential):

Encourage continuous learning and provide opportunities for professional development. When hiring, I immediately start this process. I tell employees what the job description is, ask how this fits into their strengths, and how any of it may feel like a challenge or area of potential growth. For example, I had an incredibly talented administrative assistant who was extremely intelligent. I knew they had the cognitive abilities to expand their resume in the area in which put them in a flow state. I freed part of their daily schedule to take Google Analytic courses and become certified in this area. It was a true win-win. They felt seen and heard. They could see potential they didn't know they had, and I was able to use those enhanced skills for the betterment of the organization. 

THE OLIVES (A Surprising Element) 

Let's take a closer look the final part of the quote: "Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly they come to see it in themselves." This concept aligns with Stephen Covey's idea from his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, about the Circle of Control and Circle of Influence. 

The circle of control represents the things we can directly control. like our actions and communication. The circle of influence encompasses things we can't directly control, but we can influence, such as the attitudes and beliefs of others. 

The first part of the quote, effectively communicating worth and potential, falls squarely within our circle of control. We can prepare the environment, plant the seeds of confidence, and provide the right conditions for growth. However, internalizing the message and developing self-belief ultimately rests within the individual, which falls within our circle of influence. 

So, how do we bridge the gap? 

Leaders can create fertile ground where self-belief can flourish. One crucial way to achieve this is by providing feedback that resonates with the employee. Adam Grant, in his work, emphasizes three key ingredients for effective feedback: care, credibility, and familiarity (Grant, 2023). When giving feedback, people need to feel you care about them as individuals, and that your feedback comes from a place of wanting them to succeed. They need to believe in your credibility, and that your insights are valuable because of your experience or knowledge. Finally, there needs to be familiarity with their work and goals, so feedback feels specific and relevant. 

By consistently communicating worth and potential through feedback that embodies these three elements and growth opportunities, we plant the seeds of self-confidence in our team members. This then goes beyond saying "I see you. I hear you," and genuinely communicates that you believe in their potential. 

In essence, a leader's influence on self-belief is powerful, even though the final step rests with the individual. As Covey himself states, "Leadership is the art of influencing people to willingly follow a common vision- a dream." While leaders can't force self-belief, they can certainly create the conditions where it can blossom.