The Power of Diversity

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Are you unlocking the potential of your team players?

A team has a multitude of individual talents and abilities. Learn to leverage them.

It is the leader/coach responsibility to unlock each player’s potential.

A lot more is said than done when it comes to harnessing the power of empowering diversity. Managers and executives play lip service in this important area. 

Leaders know, understand, and love their people. Leaders inspire their players to do what needs to be done, not because the leader wants it done, but because the players are self-motivated to do for themselves and for their team, the community they belong.

Here are 7 nuggets on how to think and act to leverage the power of hidden potential in team players:

1.      Know the personalities/temperaments of your team players. Understand others by understanding yourself first. We all see the situations with different color lenses. A complete team has players with all the four main personality types. The drivers, the inspirers, the supporters, and the cautious ones. Some individuals are energized by getting things done whole others are energized by the people around them. Some are introverts while others are extroverts.

2.      Know their aspirations and dreams. Know what matters to each player. Know what motivates each individual. Individual motivators can be very different. Help individuals surrender their individual egos for a team ego.

3.      Know their talents and abilities. Match individual talents with team roles. Nothing is more common than managers assigning tasks to individuals without knowing their core strengths and weaknesses. Focus on leveraging individual strength for the benefit of the team.

4.      Know their barriers to unleash their individual potential. Encourage individuals to discover their genius and master the fundamentals of their roles. The leader/coach helps the players see what they cannot see for themselves.

5.      Provide the infrastructure/system for learning and development.  The leader/coach creates the culture and the culture produces the results. How would you describe the culture of your team? Have each individual describe the team culture. Share the different points of view.

6.      Have a visible and understood performance standard. Create expectancy for each player and for the team. Each individual must clearly know what and where they contribute to their team victories.

7.      Provide individual and team rewards for meeting the performance standard. Understand and apply the different levels of motivation. Recognize that individuals value different things. Some individuals value material rewards, others value recognition and rewards, and many value making a difference and leaving a legacy.

Individuals win games; teams win championships.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)