Take a Chance on Someone

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Taking a chance on someone — it could change everything.

This week’s Culture Drop is about taking a chance on someone. Stepping up as a leader to stretch your team, and being intentional about helping people grow into more than what they are, or even what they think they could be.

Taking a chance on someone matters.

If you talk to anyone who’s been in their career for 15, 20, 30 years or more, there’s usually a moment that someone can identify where someone took a chance on them. A manager, a mentor, a peer — someone saw something in them and gave them a shot. That leap of faith might have come in the form of a stretch assignment, a new role, or added responsibility that they maybe hadn’t even asked for but were ready to rise to.

And that moment often becomes a turning point.

“When you give someone an opportunity that pushes them outside their comfort zone, you also give them a chance to surprise themselves.”

Big growth comes from taking leaps. Or a push.

When you give someone an opportunity that pushes them outside their comfort zone, you also give them a chance to surprise themselves (and you). Maybe they’ve never led a project at that scale before. Maybe they’ve never presented to the C-suite. But as a leader or colleague, if you see a spark, or curiosity and drive, then you giving them that shot might be exactly what unlocks a next level for them.

And it’s not about taking wild risks or promoting people recklessly. It’s about recognizing potential and being the catalyst to create a situation and the space for people to grow into it.

“Great leaders are champions for their people’s future, not just their present performance.”

Don’t let great talent get stuck.

A big mistake that leaders can make is keeping someone in a role just because they’re amazing at it. Yes, it feels safe. Yes, they’re a high performer. But if they’re not challenged or growing, then chances increase that they could get bored — or worse, they’ll leave. Which is a huge blow to a company because you’ve lost someone who could have grown into something even more valuable.

Great leaders are champions for their people’s future, not just their present performance.

“What do you want to learn? What would you try if you had an open runway? Where do you want to grow next?”

Start with conversations.

Looking for the potential in your people can start with simple conversations and some curiosity. Ask your team:

What do you want to learn?
What would you try if you had an open runway?
Where do you want to grow next?

These conversations open doors and give you clues about where you might stretch someone in a way that’s both exciting for them and impactful for your organization.

Remember when someone took a chance on you.

Unless you’re pretty new in your career, chances are someone once believed in you and gave you a, “I think you can do this.” Maybe you didn’t feel ready. Maybe you were scared. But you stepped up and figured it out. And that belief and opportunity made a big difference for you.

Look for opportunities to do that for someone else. Take a chance on somebody, give them the chance to rise.

You might be unlocking greatness they didn’t even know was in them.

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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop

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