This meeting was held every day first thing. Inspiration was the goal of this meeting. But this morning the Senior Manager addressed the group of salespeople with anger and frustration. He cursed at them and attacked several of them personally. When he was done, he repeated the production goals for the day and said that they needed to make it happen. Here is the question, did the manager reach the goal of inspiration in this meeting?

What does it mean to be a people builder?

Building people requires the ability to inspire an individual to be their best. If you are a leader, the number one objective you should have is that all the people you lead become better because of your leadership.

Joel Osteen described what a people builder does, “Be a people builder.  Look for opportunities to encourage others to bring out the best in them.”

People building is simply inspiring people to be their best.

How to become a people builder?

The first step to becoming a people builder is to assess your mindset.

●        How do you look at others?

●        If you are a leader at work, how do you see leadership?

●        If you are a solo enterprise, what is your view of leadership in your enterprise?

●        Leading a family is the ultimate role, do you agree?

To answer the questions of how to become a people builder, there is no better source to look to than the #1 leadership authority in the world over the last 4 or 5 decades. What does John Maxwell have to say on this subject?

A John Maxwell leadership rule that creates the People Builder paradigm. 

“Leaders Think Others First”

Maxwell says, “say it with me: leadership is about serving others. That means leaders should make other people a priority in their thinking.

Leaders want more for others, even before they know to want it themselves. Leaders see more than others, not just in terms of strategy and vision, but in terms of seeing potential and talent in the people around you.

You should be thinking about how to grow your people and encourage them to grow.

And you should be thinking about other ways you can add value to people as their leader. Because without other people, you’re not a leader—you’re just a person with a mission looking for a team.”

Read more from John Maxwell.

If you want to be a People Builder, you must Think Others First.

Another expert in the people business is Brian Tracy.  He said,

“Praise is a powerful people-builder.  Catch individuals doing something right.”

If you are thinking of others first and you realize the importance of praise to their development, then praise will be a requirement when it comes to becoming a people builder.

When I first became a leader in a formal role, I read some advice that said before you give any constructive criticism, always begin with a moment of praise. Being a leader does require rebuke and correction.  Keeping in mind that growth comes from uncomfortable situations, and people make bad decisions and mistakes, it is necessary to hold people accountable.  Consolidating the importance of constructive criticism with the power of praise, you can inspire people to make better decisions and correct mistakes leading them to being the best they can be.

As Tracy said, praise is very powerful.  Read more from Brian Tracy.

5 Steps to Being a People Builder

1. Become a server of others, especially those that are under your leadership.

2. Make it a habit to express your sincere appreciation for your people.

3. Make the improvement of the people around you a priority.

4. Don’t just ask your people to set goals but determine what you can do to best assist them in reaching those goals.

5. Be accountable to your people. Make commitments to them in areas you can be counted on.

Conclusion

The meeting that I referred to at the beginning really did happen. The sad fact is that these types of meetings happen every day in businesses all over the country.  A person that would conduct a meeting like this certainly doesn’t have the Maxwell mindset of “Leaders think others first”.  This type of treatment is not inspiration, it's intimidation. Intimidation creates fear which leads to a lack of performance. The nice way to describe this way of managing people is counterproductive. The truth is that it is stupid, foolish, arrogant, and egotistical behavior. If you know someone like this, run!

Search till you find and ultimately become a people builder. People building is serving others to add value and work together for the betterment of the individuals resulting in the high performance of the collective. People building at the very foundation is the sincere care for and love of others. It becomes the culture of a team, business, organization, or family. It must start with an individual or group that commits themselves to the principle of inspiring people to be their best. Once that commitment is made and it is practiced as a non-negotiable and encouraged consistently, the atmosphere will be one that is sought out and has a powerful influence that is far reaching.

Become a people builder and you can Expect to Win.

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