In 2010, a British brother and sister were cleaning out the home of their recently deceased parents. Among the things they found was an ornate Chinese vase that looked valuable, though they believed it was just a copy of something else. They took it and a few other items to an auction house where a consultant dated the piece to the reign of the 18th-century emperor Qianlong and noted a seal suggesting the vase belonged to the imperial family. That vase sold at auction for $85 million.
Originals are valuable because they are unique. You can buy a poster of "Starry Night", the famous Van Gogh painting, online for thirty bucks, but it's just a copy. The original is worth around $100 million dollars.
Every person has something they're good at. Some of those talents are obvious, as you see in athletes or actors, while others have more subdued talents that aren't as obvious but are equally important. As a leader, it is your job to find and help the person develop those talents.
But some leaders make the mistake of trying to cram everyone into their own mold. Their philosophy becomes, "If you want to be successful, then become me." Unfortunately, that's a surefire way to create frustration and failure in someone else.
Terry ran a successful church and decided to plant another campus. He found a perfect pastor for the campus in James. James was a dynamic, energetic speaker and truly connected with people. He had a few areas that needed tweaking a little but he was more than ready for the position.
Unfortunately, Terry decided the only way James could successfully run that new campus was to become an exact "Terry Clone." All of James' strengths were soon buried under Terry's weaknesses, and frustration set in all around. Terry was unhappy with the job James was doing, and James was unhappy because he wasn't getting to be himself and flourish in his gifts. The campus began to die because they weren't interested in seeing a pale imitation of Terry but an original version of James.
The greatest thing you can do for your team members is to find their strengths and help them develop those into their jobs.
Here are three ways to bring out the best in your people:
1) Don't create clones of yourself. Yes, you may be a great leader and there will definitely be things they should emulate (otherwise, you shouldn't be leading them), but by the same token, don't kill what makes them "them". Believe it or not, you aren't perfect. You have weaknesses hidden among your strengths, and you should be thankful for a team that can be strong in those weak spots.
2) Help them become the best versions of themselves they can be. Find those things that they are good at and figure out how to leverage those things for their job. Develop those talents. It may mean that person is better suited for another position or team, but that's okay too. They'll be happier being an original than a copy.
3) Show the value of the original. There are countless stories of original works of art found at garage sales and thrift stores that ended up being worth over a million dollars or more. The previous owners saw those items as low-value and were willing to sell them off for cheap. Someone else found those same "cheap items" and recognized their true value. Originals are valuable. Honor each person for the unique contributions they make to your organization.
When you take the time to bring out the best in an individual, you develop a level of loyalty in that person that you wouldn't find any other way.
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