Championing: the worthwhile risk of believing in people out loud

I am a romantic at heart and I like to see myself sword in hand, armour a bit dented, lifting others up right at the point when they need it most. If you work in a senior team, that moment appears in front of you more often than you’d think.

And one powerful way of doing it, is with the skill of Championing. This was forged in the world of coaching, but is absolutely a team leadership skill to always have in your bag.

• It comes in different varieties, but here’s a good one to start with …

 

If someone seems a bit out of their comfort zone, say something like this:

“Look at how far you’ve already come. You didn’t avoid the hard steps, even though that took some guts. You can do this.”

My friends will tell you that I just can’t switch off my championing muscle. It isn’t always easy, because what you say needs to be something that you totally believe – otherwise people will sniff it out. So you may need to dig a bit to find it.

And it can be risky. People might let you down. You might Champion someone who hasn’t asked for it, and they reject it. (Never happened for me yet, but you never know – I believe it’s worth the risk!).

I’ll add other varieties of Championing and more about what it takes as I write more about this amazing skill in future Articles.

Leaders who are instinctively strong will probably already be doing a fair bit of Championing. If you’re already doing it and I’ve just given you a name for it – excellent. Keep going. The alternative, to be in a room full of team members no one ever lifts up is just unthinkable.