I'm too Busy to Develop Leaders

There are dozens of excuses people give for not developing leaders.  But the number one excuse I hear is..."I'm too busy to develop anybody".  It’s true leaders are busy people.  They have places to go, people to see and things to do.  However the "I'm too busy" excuse actually indicates that you’re perfectly positioned to develop other leaders.  Here's why:

• The busier I am the more opportunity there is for a potential leader to follow me and watch what I do.  Leadership is more caught than taught, so invite a potential leader to follow you around and observe your activities.  You would be amazed at what they can learn not only sitting in meetings with you, but those little moments before or after meetings can be great opportunities to share leadership nuggets.
• The busier i am the more I have to give away.  Make a list of what you're doing and ask yourself who can I give this to and how can it be used as a developmental opportunity.  Not only will this help the potential leader but it will help you off load some of your busyness.
• My busyness is an opportunity to show the potential leader how I establish priorities, produce results, work though people and manage my time.  One day they will be a "busy leader" too so watching you may help them learn to establish priorities and be busy with the right things.

Today’s Challenge:  Look over your week and highlight opportunities you have to develop a leader in the context of your current schedule.