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You know what they say: perspective is everything. Decide today to position yourself differently so that you can see – really see – your employees. Here are 5 phases you can use to reveal your employees’ hidden talents.

Phase #1: Pay attention to people

Get genuinely curious about the people you work with and ask them open-ended questions. Things like:

• “What’s on your bucket list?”
• “Where would you like to be in the next 5 years?”
• “What have you always wanted to learn?”
• “What do you admire about others?”

Phase #2: Give people new responsibilities and see how they do

Give incremental increases in responsibility to the people on your team to see how they react to the challenge. Ask them what they might like to get involved with and create a plan together to expand their opportunities.

Phase #3: Become a coach

Remember that everyone needs help and support. Use one-on-one meetings to discuss the action items that will improve performance. Your role is to teach, redirect, and cheer from the sidelines.

Phase #4: Offer recognition

Ensure that each person on your team feels as though they matter to you, and that their contributions are valuable to you personally, to the team as a whole, and to the organization. Do this both formally and informally.

Phase #5: Cut them loose!

Let your team take on more responsibilities as their skill sets evolve. Remember that as their coach, it is never your job to micromanage. Enable your employees to take the lead as they grow professionally.