Tag: biggest_fans

If anybody can do it, you can

I believe one of the most powerful gifts a leader can give the talent on their team is belief.

Loneliness could be a problem. A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article reports “58% of Americans are lonely, religion is fading, and work doesn’t love us back.” People are turning to hobbies and the things they love — becoming super fans of the things they love and finding community through fandom. And community might solve for loneliness.

My speculative theory is that community gives us something bigger than ourselves to believe in. Our life begins to take on more meaning — we get a mission. And we get people, fellow community members, to join us.

Great leaders practice fandom towards their teams. They go to their team members and say, “hey, if anybody can do this super hard thing, you can, and I’m here with you the entire way.”

Beyond belief, statements like “if anybody can do it, you can” give talent something more — the sense that you trust them.

Imagine how it might feel to know someone who cares about you believes in your ability to succeed and trusts your judgment. You can be that leader for someone. If anybody can do it, you can.

Adapting a non-traditional interview across cultures

Different groups of people have different interview norms. In the United States, you may see all kinds of interviewee styles. In the Philippines, it tends to be formal.

Scaling the non-traditional interview formats I use globally is easy.

Principle: Be the candidate’s biggest fan.

Who doesn’t like having a fan? Admired Leadership writes about fanness. When I lead large teams I would always say I’m my team’s #1 fan before I said I was their boss. Desiring people to believe in you is a quality of human nature that transcends time and space.

I wish I had a multi-step process for how to become a fan. I don’t. I see it as a mindset. People who have this mindset deploy the following four characteristics in spades towards their candidates:

  1. Curiosity
  2. Ethics
  3. Drive
  4. Conscientiousness

Don’t believe you are high on any of these traits? You likely are because you’ve read this far. Click here to find out how you can develop curiosity through listening.