90 Collaborate with Your Team; Don’t Dictate to Them It’s too much work, too much responsibility for you as a leader, and your team will feel they are being micromanaged if you are standing over them reminding them to do what they’ve already agreed to do. Top talent interprets being micromanaged as not being trusted. If you want to retain your best, give them clearly defined expectations and then ask them what they want to accom- plish. As the late Peter Drucker observed in 1994, “We must learn how to be the CEO of our own careers.” Allow Team Members to Initiate Their Own Development A personal development plan or Strength Development Plan should be initiated by the employee and then reviewed, clarified and committed to by both the employee and lead- er. This is a mutual commitment that defines what the employee agrees to accomplish and what the leader has agreed to support. Envision the Future with Your Team Ditch your annual reviews and institutionalize these simple recommendations. Imagine what could be accomplished if every employee in your organization accomplished 12 important goals with measurable results over the next year? If you can visualize it, you can accom- plish it, but it does take a plan and commit- ment across the organization. The greatest leaders across the globe under- stand what they do well, and surround them- selves with people who do the things with excellence that the leader doesn’t do well. Re- lationships are the key to continued growth for everyone. And great leaders understand the importance of having the most talented individuals possi- ble on their team to accomplish exponential growth. True scientifically-validated assessments are predictive and can pinpoint a person’s poten- tial aligned to recurring patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors that are consistent over time. Utilizing strengths allows individuals to flex their talent muscle, boost engagement levels, productivity and enjoyment using strengths to accomplish virtually any work responsibility. And as a manager, that makes your job more engaging and fulfilling as well, as you continue to develop those talented individuals you sur- round yourself with every day. Here’s to your good health, happiness and continued successes.