It’s not ‘you’, it’s ‘me’

The classic break-up line, the one that is meant to take away the hurt and shoulder the blame, when actually all along you are thinking ‘it’s not me, it’s you!’

In your working life do you secretly think that others are to blame? How often have you thought ‘these people just aren’t getting the message’ leaving you wondering if they will ever step up?

Well, I have some good news and some bad news.

The bad news is it does start with YOU!

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3 Simple Steps to Get your People to Step Up: Step 3: Give Them Responsibility

So you are now clear on where you are headed and they should have got it by now and all you want is for them to grasp the bull by the horns and get on with it. They may even be making all right noises to suggest they are on board - but beware! Responsibility is a bit like an unwanted Christmas present. You politely accept it and say thanks, then bin it as soon as possible!

The key to giving people responsibility is for them to want it in the first place. Engage with them and discover their ‘why’? How do they align with your vision? What are their strengths? What part can they play? What excites them the most?

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3 Simple Steps to Get your People to Step Up: Step 2: Involve your People

So now you are crystal clear on where you are headed and are feeling excited and raring to go. You’ve probably mapped out the key things that need to be done by who and by when. It’s now just a case of communicating and executing the plan, right?

Wrong! One of the biggest mistake leaders make is assuming that because they ‘get it’ that their people will too. Unfortunately bringing them to engagement sessions where you tell them the strategy and invite questions and answers, feels like a fait accompli. It is being done ‘to them’. People naturally resist.

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3 Simple Steps to Get your People to Step Up: Step 1: Paint a Clear Picture

As the saying goes, if you don’t know where you are going any road will get you there. If the destination isn’t exciting or inspiring why should you even start out on the journey? And if you do know where you are going but can’t articulate it clearly your team they could arrive somewhere else entirely!

So it is no surprise that this is the first and vital step in getting your people to step up. I have worked with enough clients to know that they often think they have this step licked. They know where they want to get to, they know what they want their people to step up to, but they somehow aren’t getting the message across and things stay the same.

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Sink or Swim?

I'd just landed my first real manager's job, including the office complete with all the mod cons... a desk... a phone... a computer terminal. Yes, times have changed!!

What seemed like two seconds later, I was told I had to re-apply for the job I had just landed! With massive head count reductions planned, and targeting more senior roles, I figured I had picked the wrong time to get promoted!

I tried to convince myself that they couldn't possibly want rid of me. Sure they had just put me through the wringer to get the job?  

So I kept telling myself to Keep Calm and Carry On.

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