Most companies have some top individuals with the potential for\u00a0the extraordinary. These potential Game Changers are ready and willing to make a difference. But too often, left alone instead of\u00a0guided\u00a0and supported, they stagnate. It is a false belief to say, \u201cGreat talents prevail anyway.\u201d Having faith in that approach can stand in the way of your excellence as a leader and cost your company.<\/p>\n
To make it worse, Game Changers may be assigned tasks or projects where they can only make some minimal\u00a0contributions, or\u00a0get locked up in internal processes or bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
Without opportunities to stretch and show what they are capable of, and without the leadership that matches their potential, Game Changers will \u2014 over time \u2014\u00a0very likely\u00a0be disappointed, demoralized, and frustrated. At some point, they become impatient and disillusioned, and may seek a different position in another company, with different leadership that better matches their vision, passion, and talent.<\/p>\n
From a company’s perspective, this is a big loss \u2014 devastating, disruptive, and a visible example of missed opportunities and untapped potential.\u00a0It’s\u00a0also entirely avoidable.<\/p>\n
The best\u00a0do\u202fnot\u202fprevail no matter what \u2014 and the last thing leaders should be doing is leaving their best people alone, assuming that their passion for excellence will be enough to produce the extraordinary.<\/p>\n
In most cases, it\u00a0won’t.<\/p>\n
Game Changers need a Leadership Champion \u2014 a trusted partner that brings the right kind of leadership capabilities and the right kind of ambition to the partnership \u2014 to achieve the extraordinary.<\/p>\n
Ambitious for Overarching Success\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Leadership Champions want to build something important\u202fand lasting that is bigger than just personal recognition. Therefore, they commit themselves completely to the achievement of their company\u2019s\u202fpurpose and overarching goals. Most importantly, they keep their personal goals secondary.<\/p>\n This is what is necessary to successfully\u00a0match with\u00a0the motivation of\u00a0the individuals\u00a0with\u00a0game-changer\u00a0potential. It is fundamental for what I call a\u202fWinning Match\u202f\u2014 which is the most productive partnership between a Leadership Champion and their Game Changers.<\/p>\n A\u202fWinning Match\u202fexists because both participants do not outdo each other with their individual\u00a0interests, and\u00a0instead aim to achieve together what is best for the whole \u2014 for the customer, clients, the company, the shareholders, and anyone positively\u00a0impacted\u00a0by their success.<\/p>\n Therefore, to act as a true Leadership Champion, you first must build and\u00a0possess\u00a0a strong and evolved ambition that focuses on\u00a0the\u00a0overarching\u00a0collective goals first. Because Game Changers have developed the highest level of passion for excellence, they\u00a0seek out\u00a0leaders who share this strong,\u202fcollectively oriented\u202fambition.<\/p>\n Leading Through Collective Ambition\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As a Leadership Champion, consistently putting the importance of your own goals behind the overarching success of the company sends far-reaching positive signals across the organization. The message you send is: \u201cWhat we are doing here and what we strive for together is by far more important than what I could personally benefit from.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are five key actions for you to take as a Leadership Champion that will express what your collectively oriented ambition looks like in real time for overall success:<\/p>\n