We were having our monthly review session one morning around 2010/2011 when something suddenly dawned on me.
I looked around the small meeting room on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, and realised that about five people seated around that table had once been my Relationship Managers.
Now, we were all seated together as Branch Managers.
I felt a deep sense of joy as I reflected on what had happened. I also noticed that whenever I shared my perspective on issues, these five supported and aligned with it. I had my warriors around the table.
That experience reflects my leadership model. Push your people forward. Take a chance on them. Teach them, but also give them room to grow.
During my last two roles, I kept a whiteboard permanently in my office for teaching. If I noticed someone had written a memo incorrectly or needed to improve something, I would call the staff together and turn it into a quick learning session.
If you want a stronger team, invest in people. Teach them. Trust them. Give them opportunities to shine. Share on XAt one point, I also held weekly teaching sessions for all Sales Staff, with more than 30 people attending for two hours every week. I taught topics such as Sales, Relationship Management, Credit Analysis, Business Communication, and Customer Service, while also creating room for extensive Q&A sessions.
Those sessions became something I genuinely looked forward to because they challenged me to prepare and grow as well. The more you know and share, the better you become yourself. You don’t become any less by sharing. And once people are properly taught, you can confidently place greater responsibility on them.
So, here are a few tips that have worked for me so far:
1. Teach Your Team
If you lead a team as a supervisor or team lead (I personally prefer those terms to “boss”), make room for your people to grow by teaching them. Invest your time and energy in building their capacity.
2. As You Teach Them, Push Them Forward
Give people opportunities to handle presentations while you step back. Allow them to lead selected transactions or teams. Make sure that the opportunity you give them is one they are most certain to win so it can boost their confidence.
Don’t set them up for a kill by pushing them to where the battle is hardest. I call it the Uriah method. If Uriah dies, you’re also in trouble (I named this method after the guy David in the Bible set up to be killed by pushing him to where the battle was very fierce).
3. Make Allowance for Mistakes
Don’t beat people down when they make mistakes. Correct them gently while still affirming them. Point out their errors privately. Don’t correct publicly.
I remember the first time I was given the opportunity to preach in church. After the sermon, my pastor’s wife called me aside. After commending the message, she mentioned that my shoes were not well polished.
People grow best in environments where mistakes are corrected with wisdom, patience, and encouragement instead of embarrassment. Share on XI have since taken that correction to heart. I never step on stage to make any presentation without ensuring my shoes are properly polished.
4. Trust Them With Opportunities
Around 2010/2011, I was supervising two branches at the same time. One was on the Island and the other was on the Mainland in Surulere. I divided my time between both branches, spending three days in one location and two in the other. Eventually, it became exhausting.
One day, I approached our boss and told her I knew someone who could successfully oversee the Mainland branch. I recommended one of my Relationship Managers.
I remember there was some initial hesitation because of the person’s length of time in the role, but I strongly supported my recommendation based on the individual’s capacity and potential.
Eventually, my recommendation was approved, and that Relationship Manager was promoted to Branch Manager.
Ultimately, you have to be comfortable in your own skin to genuinely push your people forward and allow them to thrive.
The beautiful thing is this: when they grow, you grow too. They grow in capacity, and you grow in influence. It’s a win-win for everyone.