One on One

Have you ever played one on one basketball? When you do you have to know the skills of the person you are playing or you will definitely lose the game. You need to understand their moves and their go to shot. A leader needs to understand the people who work for them. They need to understand their skills, moves and what their go to project is.

Understanding your people doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and effort. It probably takes some one on one time. If you are new to your leadership role you need to spend some time learning your people's jobs and duties. I used to be the director of a learning center and before I even started on the job I met individually with the people who would be working with me and discussed their passions, desires and duties. It helped me going in to have a good knowledge of those I would be leading.

Leaders should have one on ones with their people and they should use that time to communicate their vision. They should also use it to listen to the people and help them craft a plan to reach their goals. It is your responsibility as a leader to lead your people. Make sure you understand their dreams and their goals. Make sure you know their skill set and that you give them tasks and find roles that will help them use their skills to their full potential.

The only way to really do this is to have one on ones with your people. Communicate with them and have them communicate with you. It is all part of the leadership language. Sitting down and having that communication time is important. make it personal and make it friendly.

One on One, it's not a game but a process.