John C. Maxwell on Leadership #27 A Leader Is An Enlarger

Team members always love and admire a player who is able to help them go to another level, someone who enlarges them and empowers them to be successful. Players who enlarge their teammates have several things in common:

#1 Enlargers Values their Teammates: Your teammates can tell whether you believe in them. People’s performances usually reflect the expectations of those they respect.

#2 Enlargers Value What their Teammates Value: Players who enlarge others listen to discover what their teammates talk about and watch to see what they spend their money on. That kind of knowledge, along with a desire to relate to their fellow players, creates a strong connection.

#3 Enlargers Add Value to their Teammates: Adding value is really the essence of enlarging others. It’s finding ways to help others improve their abilities and attitudes. An enlarger looks for the gifts, talents, and uniqueness in other people, and then helps them to increase those abilities.

#4 Enlargers Make Themselves More Valuable: Enlargers work to make themselves better, not only because it benefits them personally, but also because it helps them to help others. If you want to increase the ability of a teammate, make yourself better.

How do your teammates see you? Are you an enlarger? Do you make them better than they are alone through your inspiration and contribution? Do you know what your teammates value? Do you capitalize on those things by adding value to them in those areas?

[Taken from The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player: Becoming the Kind of Person Every Team Wants (2007) by John C. Maxwell. Published by Thomas Nelson Inc.]

Becoming a better leader starts with enlarging others regardless of whether

or not you have a position, authority, or a title.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.