I love to sit and watch a good mystery movie. I will often be on the edge of my seat waiting for the next move. Those close to me will often attempt to solve the mystery before the movie is done. That really irritates me because I want to find it all out myself. Sometimes a foreshadowing clue is cast to the audience that says who “really dun it”. A really good mystery is not solved until the last minute. From a different angle, the game CLUE puts you in the driver's seat. You have to plot and plan moving your piece strategically from one room to another, eliminating each wrong notion until the secret is revealed. In the wonderful, challenging world of leadership a detective is what is needed to reveal qualities and traits in those we lead. How are you in bringing qualities to the surface?
I know that in my own experience, noticing qualities and struggles in those around me is often daunting. Some “clues” are obvious and one can notice them immediately. Others take a little digging, a little prodding, and motivation. We can strategically move our piece from one room to the next in order to eliminate possibilities and say with confidence “this person has a gift in this area” or “this person really struggles in this area”. While some traits are obvious some take a bit more effort to bring to the light. Noticing the giftedness in our teams is what being a leader is about. It is the nurturing spirit which challenges others to be what they are not in and of themselves. A wise woman once told me of her experience working in her garden. She loves to spend countless amounts of energy making each plant look its best. She cuts away the wilted leaves. She loosens the soil around the plants, pours the perfect amount of water on the plant to cause growth. She even talks to her plants. Crazy, you may think. But somehow her plants grow. The last thing she told me that she does is the deciding factor to a beautiful array of flowers. If a plant is not growing or looking as fresh as it should, she digs it up and gently moves it to another location. She must be so careful as to not knock off too much of the fresh soil that gives the necessary nourishment. Once she moves them she usually sees growth take place. If not she moves it again, and again, and again; until success occurs.
The people placed in our charge are much like the flower in the garden. They need to be pruned which can be painful, they need their soil loosed or encouraged, they need fresh water. They still may not grow or thrive so we have to look for just the right location or position that will help them grow. This is often a difficult task for leaders to do because we don't want to loose those who we have spent so much time watering and nurturing. Let's face it, as leaders we can get possessive of our teams. A mystery game is strategic but the outcome is in the hands of the players. Until the guess is made or the movie comes to an end the outcome is unknown. The truth is that we have to take multiple guesses at what one's gifts are. The subtle ones are often difficult to dig up. The replanting process is a long, arduous one. The results are priceless.
What is the solution to this game of CLUE? How can we be better gardeners in the bed of leadership? Look for every opportunity to bring out qualities in your team. At times the belief that you have in them is what will allow them to trust you when you attempt to move them. Remember, qualities in our teams are not always obvious. We must search deeply. Sometimes, we have to face the truth that one is not growing, which is why the necessary pruning takes place. A leader must give direction and hope to the struggling “plant”. Whether or not they receive it should not make our decision any different. We must pursue every opportunity to grow those “plants” around us, looking for every clue that will sprout new and exciting possibilities of growth. No one has arrived in this pruning process. We, as well as our teams are in the pruning process. Let us each challenge ourselves to grow our teams and to grow as well.
