Genius or Genius-Maker: Strategies for Smart Leadership with the KASH Method
How Smart Leaders Bring Out the Best in People
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, leveraging intelligence within your team is more crucial than ever. But there’s an underlying question that looms for many organizations: Are you a genius, or are you a genius-maker? This distinction can make all the difference in successfully guiding an organization. While hiring incredibly smart individuals remains a key strategy for many corporations, tapping into that collective intelligence to enhance organizational success requires more than just having smart people. As Stephen R. Covey aptly highlights, intelligence is a resource that only becomes an asset if it can be effectively accessed and utilized.
Surprisingly, surveys around employee engagement indicate a pervasive trend: a vast majority of employees possess untapped capabilities, creativity, talent, and resourcefulness. Meanwhile, they also face increasing pressures to deliver more with fewer resources. This paradox—where individuals are simultaneously underutilized and overworked—calls for leaders who can transform into genius-makers by harnessing the full potential of their teams.
The Shift: From Genius to Genius-Maker
As Peter Drucker foresaw, the 21st-century organization holds its knowledge workers as its most significant assets. So, how do leaders transition from merely being geniuses themselves to becoming creators of genius within their teams? To explore this, leadership experts Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown offer profound insights in their book “Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter.”
Here we align their ideas with the KASH Method (Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, Habits) leadership coaching method to provide a clear roadmap for today’s leaders:
- Knowledge: Unlock Collective Intelligence
Cultivate an environment that encourages sharing and harnessing the diverse knowledge of your team. Foster openness where everyone feels safe to contribute ideas and insights, thereby harnessing a collective genius. - Skills: Develop and Empower
Design roles and projects that challenge your team to stretch beyond their current capabilities. Encourage continual learning and development, empowering team members to refine and expand their skill sets. - Attitude: Build a Culture of Inclusivity
Lead with the attitude that the most brilliant solutions come from a collaborative effort. Encourage inclusivity and diverse thought, avoiding the trap of needing to prove yourself as the smartest individual in the room. - Habits: Establish Team-Oriented Practices
Implement habits that prioritize team development and innovation. Regularly facilitate meetings where the focus is on team accomplishments rather than individual accolades, and recognize contributions from all team members.
Leaders who can successfully make this shift harness the true potential of their team. They energize employees by spotlighting strengths, revitalizing their abilities, and igniting a sense of purpose and belonging.
The Impact of Genius-Making Leadership
Unfortunately, the opposite can often occur. As I’ve observed through executive coaching, some leaders stifle potential by adopting a mindset that restricts open idea exchange. Their need to be seen as the preeminent authority can drain energy, dampen enthusiasm, and significantly reduce collective IQ within a team.
In your journey towards becoming a genius-maker, reflect on your experiences and consider where you might have encountered leaders who either lifted you up or held back your potential. Sharing these stories not only enhances self-awareness but also illuminates the path for others embarking on a similar leadership transformation.
I’d love to hear from you—what experiences have you encountered with a leader focusing on their genius at the expense of their team’s potential? Leave a comment, and let’s explore ways to elevate our leadership impact together!
Creator of the KASHBOX: Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, Habits
Helping You Realize Your Potential
I help people discover their potential, expand and develop the skills and attitudes necessary to achieve a higher degree of personal and professional success and create a plan that enables them to balance the profit motives of their business with the personal motives of their lives.
