Here's how you can uncover and nurture the potential of your team members as an executive manager.

This reminds me of an interview I had for a supervisory job at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The lead interviewer explained that the successful candidate would be someone who could teach the existing staff to write. He explained that the boss over position in the office I was applying for was unsatisfied with the quality of the writing ability of the employees. I responded with incredulity. You hired people who couldn't write? To which I continued, no I can't teach your staff to write. I could write for them, but I am not capable of teaching mid-career people how to write. Someone else got that job instead of me. If they got it by promising to teach the staff to write, I have to wonder how that worked out for them.

To bring out the best potential in our team members, they need to see linkage to what they do to the organization purpose. As such, leaders need to spend time to demystify the organization purpose. And taking the time to appreciating and leveraging on the different strengths of the team members will also reinforce the importance of teamwork.

There are various methods to assess the skills, strengths, and potential abilities of a team. For example, we can utilize the MBTI test, which demonstrates the basic characteristics of team members and their potential strengths and abilities in different positions. For instance, some individuals are suitable for teamwork, while others excel when working independently. Some people have the potential to become managers, while others are better suited for positions requiring highly detailed tasks, such as QC inspectors. Another example of methods for assessing skills is job shadowing, where you observe how a team member performs different tasks to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

As an executive manager, uncovering and nurturing your team's potential involves a personalized approach. Start by understanding each member’s strengths, aspirations, and developmental needs through one-on-one conversations. Create opportunities for them to take on new challenges that align with their interests and growth goals. Provide continuous feedback and recognize their achievements to boost confidence and motivation. Invest in training programs that enhance their skills and leadership potential. Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing among team members to foster a supportive work environment where everyone can thrive.

One of the most imperative things to do for motivating a team is "Team Buy-in." It means that for defining goals, scope of work, and scheduling projects, it is important to involve team members in the decision-making process. It motivates the members and improves their dedication to the organization's goals and objectives and fosters their potential abilities and skills.

One of the fundamental strategies when "establishing the direction and goals" of high-potential team members is to support them in expanding their scope, responsibilities, and trust in their capabilities to hit bigger objectives and milestones. Potential team members would always look for growth opportunities and someone to open the door for them. Putting more Trust in them and supporting their scope and responsibility expansion will remain the #1 factor for team, department, and company growth. Examples: - Delegate the high-potential team members to take on projects outside their scope or larger in size. - Encourage cross-functional collaboration across different teams and departments to expose them to new perspectives and challenges.

Making my team members feel truly appreciated happens through fostering an authentic culture of mutual respect, trust and empowerment every single day. It means understanding each person's unique talents and passions and helping them to grow and learn. Once trust is established it is much easier to have open two- way communication. Showing appreciation to team through simple-- "thank you" or "excellent" goes a long way.

Good feedback is very rare and traditional feedback can often be one-sided and unhelpful. Instead, adopting a coaching mindset can make all the difference. In this approach, regular feedback sessions become a two-way conversation, where employees feel heard and are actively involved in discussions about their performance. This fosters an environment of continuous improvement and encourages self-reflection, leading to better outcomes for both the employee and the organization. By providing constructive feedback, managers and leaders can help their teams to grow and reach their full potential.

It is important to remember that training courses for team members should be aligned with their potentials and the organization's objectives. Attending training courses should help team members fill gaps in skills necessary for their job descriptions or positions within the organization. Therefore, defining precise job descriptions for team members is a precursor to offering training courses.

In addition to allowing employees to make key decisions on projects, it is also important to encourage them to take ownership of their work. This can be achieved by setting clear expectations and goals, providing regular feedback, and recognizing their achievements. Empowering employees to think critically and independently can lead to increased innovation and creativity, as they are more likely to come up with new and unique solutions to challenges.

Most managers manage their team members by KPIs, which may only drive results in the short term. To achieve longer term success, leaders will need to invest time and effort to rally the team to focus on overall impact of goals set. At the end of the day, goals are not ticking the box exercises, they are meant to be motivational pivots that lead us to our intended Purpose.

Recognise that every team member has unique character traits and values. As a leader, it's essential to engage with each individual personally and provide guidance. If a team is self-sufficient, where does the role of the executive manager fit in?

To help your team members grow and excel, as an executive manager, get to know them individually. Provide opportunities for development, offer support and feedback, and encourage them to take ownership of their work. Foster a culture of learning and innovation, and recognize their achievements to keep them motivated. #ahmedalaali11

I highly recommend fostering a "fail-forward" environment by encouraging team members to take calculated risks. Create a safe space for what's known as "intelligent failures" by recognizing and rewarding innovative efforts, even if they don't always lead to success. This policy promotes learning from mistakes, which is crucial for personal and professional growth.