Our never ending quest…as leaders…is to stretch people farther… than they think they can go…

To take an individual…or a team…and stretch them all the way out… till they feel they are at the edge of the cliff…

And just as they are about to fall off…extend our hand…tell them how important they are…

tell them that you genuinely care about them…tell them you want the best from them…and then… stretch them a little more…

That in itself…is an art form for any great leader…

The bigger problem…is to convey to the individual or team…that in eating an elephant…it is done one bite at a time…

Because too many times…an individual or team…might be overwhelmed… with the enormity of a certain project or task…

You have to get the individual or team…to breakdown the project or task…one step at a time…

It reminds me of an old story… that goes like this…

When I was a young man…I tried to change the world…

But I found the world a very big place…with too many different beliefs and cultures…

Being unable to change the world…I concentrated on trying to change my nation…

But alas…the nation was too large and too divided…

When I saw that changing the Nation was too difficult…I tried to change my town…

But my town…was just as difficult to change as the world and my nation…

And as I got to be an older man…I tried to change my family…

But I soon realized…changing my family…was nearly impossible…

Now… as an old man… I realize the only thing I can change… is myself.

Suddenly…I realized that if long ago… I had changed myself… I could have made an impact on my family.

My family and I…could have then made an impact on our town.

The town’s impact… could have changed the nation…

And then my Nation could have influenced the world….

If long ago I had changed myself…I could have changed the world…

That story…fits perfectly with taking on a large project or task…

You have to break it down into smaller parts…

And by breaking it down into smaller…easier to digest tasks…you will have helped the individual or team…stretch themselves farther than they think they can go…

By breaking down the task into small pieces…the individual or team…can then concentrate…on how to maximize each step along the way…thus ensuring a great resolution to the project or task…

Stretching people farther than they think they can go…is all about…breaking down…and simplifying a large project…

It’s about giving the individual or team…all of the tools…training…motivation and confidence…to succeed beyond their wildest dreams…

It’s also what a great leader does on a daily basis…

To view a video of this blog, please go to the following link:

Jim Kristoff video - How to Stretch your people!

About the Author: With 30 years in the retail Automotive Industry, from a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of an automotive environment. You can follow me on my website, www.JimKristoff.com, on twitter @jimkristoff, my WordPress blogsite  http://jimkristoff.wordpress.com/ ,on DealerElite.net http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/JimKristoff ,on LinkedIn  http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkristoff or on youtube, www.youtube.com/user/jimkristoff