It’s been my observation that people usually rise to the leader’s expectations—if they like the leader. If you have built solid relationships with your employees and they genuinely like and respect you, they will work hard and give their best.

Vision. People can get so caught up in their day-to-day responsibilities that they lose sight of the vision that drives the organization.

Whether you have a natural gift for interacting positively with people or you have to really work at it, you are capable of mentoring others and lifting them to a higher level. You can help them develop a road map for success and go on the journey with you as long as you keep growing as a person and a leader.

You can’t turn people loose without structure, but you also want to give them enough freedom to be creative. The way to do that is to give them the big three: responsibility, authority, and accountability.

Douglas M. Lawson said, “We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.”

All I’m suggesting is that you give others the same consideration you give yourself. It’s not a lot to ask, and the dividends it will pay you relationally can be huge.

The newness of the worker. I want to give new leaders every possible chance to succeed. So I check on newer people more often.

The final reason many people don’t raise up the people around them is that they don’t know how to do it. Mentoring others isn’t something most people learn in school.

The BEST mentoring leaders are encouragers.