I want to be a ladder-holder.
Managing people is a sacred and meaningful responsibility.
As a manager, it’s your responsibility to see someone’s potential, and to help them to maximize their potential on your watch. You view yourself as a steward of their career. You see yourself as someone who has been granted the privilege to direct another person’s time and effort, so that they can grow their influence and their reputation, through yours.
My management philosophy is to be a ladder holder for my people.
Here’s what I say to every person whom I manage or coach.
I will build a ladder for you.
I will hold that ladder.
Steadily, with my feet planted on the ground.
All you have to do is climb.
Just look up, and climb.
I am cheering you on, rung by rung.
Especially when the rungs get tougher.
If a rung is slippery, I will warn you.
If a rung is wobbly, I will call it out.
If obstacles rain down, I will spot them before you do.
If a rung is a little out of reach, it’s okay.
I will coach you to get to it.
If you need to rest on a rung for a bit, that’s okay.
If you feel unsteady, stop and catch your breath.
It’s okay to pause before you proceed.
Whatever you do, don’t look down.
Don’t look around.
Don’t get distracted.
The prize is above you.
The prize is your climb.
Don’t worry about others climbing their ladders.
Their ladders have nothing to do with you.
Their pace is theirs. Their ladder is theirs.
This is your ladder, yours alone.
There’s nobody else on this ladder.
There’s nobody else above you.
There’s nobody else limiting you on this ladder.
This is the ladder I’ve built for you—just you.
I have unshakeable confidence in your ability.
I believe you can climb.
You will climb. Farther than you think.
I believe, or why would I be standing here?
Don’t you dare come down to the ground.
I’m your safety net. I won’t let you fail.
Look up. Keep climbing.
Climb!
I’ve got you.
Now, I know that some people will have a fear of heights. Nothing I can say can make them climb further. They might get stuck on a rung. They might panic and even want to clamber down. They might wish to stay closer to the ground, where they feel safer and less anxious. I get it. It’s scary up there. The higher you climb, the harder it feels. I will build a ladder for them, too, but tailored to the heights they wish to aim for.
I want to build the right ladder for every person I manage.
I seek to hold the ladder with enthusiasm and belief.
I desire to be a relentless champion for their climb.
Through good days and bad.
But, especially the bad.
