Read and give respond. In each response, include additional thoughts or reflections that further the discussion.

Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your team members should an ongoing endeavor. Determining the most productive role for each individual must be done for both the short and long term. Each person should be reviewed for potential in addition to performance. Getting the most out of people has a lot to do with recognizing what they are capable of becoming, not just how they are currently performing. Investing in strengths and developing new ones will pay off in the end. Always choosing the most capable or experienced person to carry out certain tasks can be counter-productive. What happens when that person is no longer available? Ensuring that you maximize opportunities for additional personnel today will increase your options and improve effectiveness in the future. Surrounding yourself with the right people in order to maximize output and productivity makes perfect sense. Even if you don’t think about it, the subconscious tendency will always be to gather the best people together. When there is only a single group to be assembled, there is nothing wrong with this way of building up a team. The problem exists when there are multiple projects on the go and as each team gets selected, the strongest people are on the first team and the weakest members end up on the last. Remain cognizant of placing junior members with senior staff allowing for organizational training in every possible activity. Eventually you will find that you have collectively increased the experience level of your staff. Instead of surrounding yourself with the right people, it is possible to create the right people from the ones who surround you. Understanding the needs of followers takes time and patience. Good communications are built on trust and allowing people to feel heard. Many leaders and managers speak far more than they listen. Sometimes the smallest gesture means a great deal. A long time ago in my career, I found myself addressing some personal concerns to a senior staff member in his office. When I began to talk, he reached over and turned the ringer off on his phone. He proved to me in a single moment that he was genuinely interested and engaged in what I was saying. By something that seems insignificant at first, turning the ringer off meant that there was absolutely nothing in the world that was more important to him than my concerns. I find myself doing the same thing now and often it has the same effect on my staff that it had on me.