EMERGENT LEADERS NEWSLETTER/036/BALANCING GRACE: NURTURING HIGH POTENTIAL TEAM MEMBERS WITHOUT NEGLECTING GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS
Leadership often entails walking a delicate tightrope between recognizing and nurturing high-potential team members
This article delves into the importance of balancing grace, providing guidance on how leaders can cultivate a fair and supportive environment for ALL team members, regardless of their performance levels.
Understanding Grace in the Workplace
Grace in leadership refers to the capacity to extend understanding, empathy, and support. In theory, it’s a simple concept. However, any leader knows that it’s never that simple to implement. The challenge is to extend grace to all team members, regardless of their current skill or performance levels, which are rarely uniform across teams. To successfully achieve this delicate balance, a leader has to recognize that each individual brings unique strengths and challenges to the table and understand that growth and development are ongoing processes.
The Pitfalls of Unbalanced Grace: Perceived Favoritism
Favoritism can manifest in various ways within teams, often without leaders even realizing it.
Common signs include:
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Do any of these resonate with you? If so, not to worry! Keep reading to find out how you can adapt your leadership habits to be a little more fair to your struggling team members.
Finding Balance
Balancing grace requires intentional effort and a commitment to fairness and equity within the team. Below are 5 strategies for leaders to consider integrating into their current leadership practices:
Simply by growing their awareness around habits that could lead team members to perceive favoritism, leaders are more likely to engage in behaviors that will work to knock down those beliefs. By cultivating a culture of fairness, empathy, and support, leaders can foster an environment where all team members feel valued, included, and empowered to reach their full potential – though at their own pace, and can unlock the collective talents and strengths of their teams, driving greater innovation, productivity, and success.
If you are looking for a more customized leadership development experience, leadership coaching may be the better option to get you to your professional development goals faster. Book a complimentary “Discovery Call” to discuss your goals and see if working with a leadership coach might be the way to go.