“Leadership consists of picking good men (and women) and helping them do their best.”
– Admiral Chester Nimitz, Pacific Commander, WW2
My family visited the Pacific Theater museum in Nimitz’s home town of Fredericksburg, Texas over the holidays. When Fredericksburg wanted to build a museum honoring his service and leadership, Nimitz demanded that it not be about him, but the story of the men and women he led. A great leader gives the credit away to the team. Impressive life, I will be studying him in 2018.
The quote is a simple human resources playbook for business owners and leaders.
- Pick good people
- Help them do their best
It is our job, our responsibility as leaders, to train and develop the people on our teams. Quite simply it is the fastest way to unlock new potential for your organization. The next most important decision to make as the leader is this: If we have trained them to the best of our ability, and our conclusion is that we have the wrong person, make a decision quickly.