If you want to separate yourself from the pack and be the most effective leader you can be, you’ve got to challenge yourself. Challenge your thoughts, your ideas, and most importantly your ego. You’ve got to have the courage to encourage a diversity of thought within your team.
I’ve been around a lot of smart people in the construction industry. I’ve noticed there are some people who are really smart, but they don’t reach their full potential. They get “out-performed” by others who may not have the education or experience they have. Often they top out, they hit a wall they just can’t get beyond. What causes this?
CHECK YOUR EGO
Typically, its their ego. They arrogantly feel like they are so smart there is nothing anyone else can teach them. There’s nothing they can learn from the folks that work for or around them. The mear thought of giving consideration to the ideas of others is a challenge their ego and they can’t have that. Know anyone like that? I’ve seen it, been around it, don’t like it.
You know, the guy that knows it all. Once that’s your mind set you are destined to be mediocre. You may achieve a certain level of success, but you’ll never be the best you can be.
Diversity OF Thought
So how do you get the best from yourself and the team around you? After all its about the team and the success of the project, isn’t it? All teams need the best information and ideas to be most effective. By promoting a diversity of thought the best solutions rise to the top.
Theres a lot of talk about diversity these days. Typically this focuses simply on races, gender, age for example. These differences are important as they shape peoples perspective but theres a more important component. These different perspectives shape peoples ideas and thought processes. Leaders who create an environment of trust where all team mates are comfortable sharing their thoughts, thier ideas, lead more successful teams. 
Example
How do you do this? Look for and encourage a diversity of thought. The biggest break throughs and discoveries come from crazy ideas. If you have blinders on and stick with the old, “this is the way we always do it” mentality, you are going to get left behind. A true leader isn’t afraid to ask questions of others. Get your team together, maybe a trusted circle of peers, and start kicking around ideas.
Here’s what I started doing over the last year with great results. When trying to find solutions to schedule, work flow, details, whatever the issue at the time is we can be hesitant to throw out ideas because we fear what others might think. I know that’s not you but its just about everyone else. You’ve got to take fear and hesitation off the table right up front.
I start off this way, I talk about the greatest inventions of the world. The greatest breakthroughs started off as a crazy vision or idea that were originally thought to be a non-starter or crazy. These crazy ideas were the launching pad to breakthroughs, inventions, and solutions.
Then I throw out an aggressive goal or farfetched idea to get the conversation started. On more than one occasion I’ve had a team member say, well if we’re thinking crazy, how about this? And the conversation starts.
Typically, this is how it goes down. I throw out an idea that may never work, but we are stretching our thought process right? What happens then is we end up saying, no we cant do that but what if we do this, and then we could, and so on. When you throw out big crazy ideas you can easily work your way back to what’s real. In doing this often the team as a whole stretches their thinking and the answers and outcomes are better than anyone individually thought was possible.
What type of leader are you?
Don’t be afraid of someone having a better idea. A true leader is confident in themselves and builds an environment where a diversity of thought is a goal. The best field leaders’ number one priority is the success of the project and the team. Check your ego and focus the best ideas and solutions and you will excel and be known as a great leader.
