A Leader Must Develop New Leaders

Before we get too deep into the NFL season, I want to highlight a great example of leadership and people development from the recent NFL preseason that we can all learn from regardless of field or industry: Mike Vrabel, the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, used the preseason games to give a couple of his assistant coaches the chance to be head coach for a week (story here), a move that offers them an opportunity to grow and gain new skills and perspectives that will benefit not only them personally, but ultimately the organization as a whole.

The real purpose of the preseason is player evaluation as well as preparation for the upcoming season, but Coach Vrabel also used this time to give his lead assistants the chance to step up one level and lead the organization for several days. For the assistant coaches, this was a professional development opportunity that also could prepare them for interviews they may have following the season as they pursue their goals for advancement. Keep in mind that the interview period after each season is about 30 days for head coaching opportunities, so there is a short window to prep and land jobs once the season is over.

When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

-Jack Welch

As Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric once said: “When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” However, how many get to the top and enjoy the view and the perks, but don’t develop their successors, perhaps out of ego or maybe out of fear of being replaced? With the ever-shortening tenure of C-level executives, it can be easy not to focus on developing the next wave of leaders under the premise that you only have limited time to make an impact and that you won’t be there that long anyway.

Or even further down in the organization, how many managers do you see that only manage upward and don’t develop the next generation of leaders only to have their old team or department struggle or collapse when they leave or get promoted?

So, while the Titans or the Patriots (where Vrabel played and won Super Bowls) are not my teams per se, I give major kudos to Coach Vrabel for placing a high level of importance on developing his staff and seeking safe opportunities for them to test their skills and readiness for the next level.

It reminds me of the fictional CEO/CFO conversation often referenced on LinkedIn, where the CFO asks the CEO: “What happens if we spend the time and money to train people and then they leave?” The CEO responds, “What happens if we don’t train our people and they stay?”

As a leader, think about where you can find opportunities for developing your team in a safe, supportive environment. There are many simple things you can do to accomplish this kind of environment by borrowing a page from Vrabel’s leadership playbook.

In past roles, for example, I have rotated staff meeting responsibility among the team so that less-experienced associates could learn how to run meetings and how to prepare in advance, making it a worthwhile and productive use of everyone’s time. Or determine whether there are projects that they can lead that will help them advance their skills and get prepared for greater opportunities.

As Harvey S. Firestone, the founder of the Firestone Tire & Rubber company, said: “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.”

To discuss how I can help your company’s VOC or CX efforts or to arrange speaking engagements, please contact me at eric.smuda@outlook.com.

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