The Number One Responsibility of a Leader

Welcome to the next installment of the Leadership Vision Podcast where we share our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of CliftonStrengths.

We’re experimenting with a new show format called “Quick Questions with Brian!” At least that’s the working title. The idea is to ask our founder and CEO, Brian Schubring, one quick question about leadership, and get his best quick answer. Brian has 30+ years of experience not only coaching and consulting with all levels of high-impact leaders but also a plethora of experience of his own as a business owner and leader in a variety of capacities and in numerous contexts.

So, if you have a question about leadership you’d like him to answer, or if you’d just like to give us some feedback on this occasional format, (don’t worry, this isn’t replacing the longer format focusing on Strengths and teams), contact us!

What is the Role of a Leader?

Below is the transcript of the conversation* between Brian and I. It's short, but packs a punch! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Brian: I think that the number one responsibility of the leader is to pay attention to the leaders that are around them. Most leaders that we work with have such an intentional focus on who they are as a leader and how they're growing and developing. They look at the teams around them (including their direct reports) as people they just need to manage. Recently, I told a group of leaders that their number one responsibility is to nurture develop and release the provision of leaders around them. I said, "The leaders around you have more talent more experience more expertise than you do. And what if you were to see them as an untapped, unlimited resource not to get frustrated at, but to look at investing into because they can be the ones that truly propel your influence forward." The concept of leaders who are younger than you are is a provision of your legacy of how effective you are as a leader.

Nathan: So how do you do that? How do you develop,  nurture, invest... If you could give a leader one takeaway, what is it?

Brian: A manager a supervisor or whatever term you want to use (a team leader or a culture shaper), whatever that word is that that individual has a professional responsibility to invest in the leaders that are coming up beneath them. Those that are younger than them that don't have the same level of experience. How is it that you can remind that individual that they are unique that they have something to offer? How can you avail yourself to help them remove obstacles remove barriers and then resource them according to really help them understand how they're put together? Not just as someone is leading in your shadow.

Nathan: Again, how do we do that? What is one thing someone could do, let's say tomorrow, that would at least be the start on the right path to doing something like that?

Brian: Invite someone else to come alongside of you. Give them some obvious responsibilities they have to fulfill and make small incremental measures on that responsibility. Check in with them. I cannot tell you how much return on that small investment you'll receive just by that individual saying, "oh my gosh that that that leader of mine gave me the chance to just..." fill in the blank. Because there are some instances where a leader just has so much to do that they can't help but empower other individuals. But that can sometimes be misinterpreted as that's just part of my job. For the emerging leader, what I'm speaking to specifically is the the leader or the manager or the supervisor actually sharing or handing off one of their responsibi