The production level 3 of leadership communicates the vision of the organization through action. Level 3 leaders help people see what productivity looks like. This encourages team members and validates their efforts. Productivity also helps people recognize that they can actually accomplish more than they believed was possible.
The Downside of Production
Many leaders who reach Level 3 tire of leading because of the weight of responsibility they feel. Level 3 leaders also must make the difficult decisions to:
*Be successful before trying to help others be successful.
*Hold themselves to higher standards than they ask of others.
*Make themselves accountable to others.
*Set tangible goals and then reach them.
*Accept responsibility for personal results.
*Admit failures and mistakes quickly and humbly.
*Remove themselves from situations where they are ineffective.
Best Behaviors on Level 3
Vision casting is an integral part of Level 3 leading. Productive leaders must create a clear link between the visions of their organizations and their teams’ daily production. They must show how the short term impacts the long term. Level 3 leaders employ the five Laws of Teamwork:
1. The Law of Significance: One is too small a number to achieve greatness.
2. The Law of Mount Everest: As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates.
3. The Law of the Catalyst: Winning teams have players who make things happen.
4. The Law of the Bench: Great teams have great depth.
5. The Law of Dividends: Investing in the team compounds over time.
People want to succeed. If they are not succeeding, they want to know what adjustments they need to make in order to succeed. Most people are willing to change if they are convinced that changing will help them win. Productive leaders take responsibility for guiding team members through this process.
Leaders who reach Level 3 always experience success, but not all of them capitalize on that success and move on to the next level. To do that, they must remain focused and productive — all while cultivating and preserving positive relationships.
Guide to Growing through Level 3
In order for Level 3 leaders to move onto Level 4, they must:
*Think about things that help others become better, both individually and as a team. They can do this by turning the focus outward from their own production and helping others become high producers.
*Define each team member’s area of contribution and figure out how they all work together to make the team most effective.
*Meet with the team daily (or at least weekly) to give feedback on performance. They must praise people’s efforts, help them learn from their failures, and reward their successes.
*Find challenges for people to win together as a team. The greater the number of wins, the more they can increase the difficulty of the challenges.
*Know who is who on the team, including:
*Momentum Makers: Producers who make things happen).
*Momentum Takers: People who go along for the ride.
*Momentum Breakers: People who cause problems and hurt moral).
*Be responsible for making the decisions and initiating the changes needed for the team to succeed. This can be done by setting aside an hour a day to think of five new ways to change things for the better.
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