Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 A P R I L 2 , 2 0 1 8 H OW TO B Y J I M B O U C H A R D T he most honest answer I can give you on how to stop the fl ow of young people out of Maine is you can't. Young people by nature have more of a yearning for adventure. ey want to get out and see the world and these days the world is more acces- sible than ever before. Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses and some specifi c sectors all over the world that are particularly vulnerable to this out- fl ow of aspiring and emerging lead- ers. is often results in a leadership gap, which will inevitably become an urgent and critical problem. What can you do in your organi- zation to try and keep good people? And what can you do to attract young people from "away" that see Maine as the destination for their next opportunity? 1. Involve the target group in the process Organizations still too often try to impose top-down solutions. You want to attract and keep young leaders? Get them involved in committees and task forces for how best to do it! Aspiring and emerging leaders should be involved in designing com- pensation models, benefi t packages and innovation strategies. e more involved they are, the more you will fi nd solutions their peers will respond to –– and the more likely they'll stay around a little longer as well. 2. Give them opportunities to learn, grow, develop — and lead Leadership is sharing, and two of the most important things you can share are power and authority. Give young people the opportunity to participate in meaningful projects. Give them the authority to lead spe- cifi c tasks and groups. Provide ongoing professional and personal development training, and mentoring. Research clearly shows that the most eff ective motivators are purpose, autonomy and mastery. Training and development programs are essential in cultivating these key drivers in your culture. You may not always have a formal position of authority open, but you always have problems that need solving and opportunities for people to learn and grow –– if you're willing to share. 3. Earn their respect, trust and loyalty Emphasis on the word "earn." I still hear leaders talking about "expecting" or even "demanding" respect, trust and loyalty. No — to be genuine, these things must be earned. is means being consistent and honest. It means leading by example –– walking the walk. Most of all it means demonstrat- ing courage, compassion and wisdom in your own leadership. People work harder –– and stay longer where they respect and trust their leaders and they know those leaders truly care. None of these steps guaran- tee that any particular individual will stay. I can tell you from our workshop experience, however, that many if not most organizations have room for improvement in all these areas. You'll have more satis- fi ed and productive people for as long as they're with you. e more willing you are to embrace and implement these strat- egies, the more likely you'll earn the respect, trust and loyalty of the people you serve. J B is a speaker, media personality and author o f " T h e S e n s e i L e a d e r " a n d " T h i n k L i k e a B l a c k B e l t . " For more: TBB G. or TSL. Stop the exodus of promising young leaders from Maine bernsteinshur.com/chris-dargie We welcome excellence in practice. Bernstein Shur is proud to welcome Chris Dargie as a shareholder and member of the Business Law Practice Group to the firm's Portland office. His practice will focus on private equity, M&A, commercial transactions, and providing general counsel for businesses of all sizes, and complement Bernstein Shur's thriving food and beverage practice with his deep experience representing both start-up and established craft breweries. Welcome to the firm, Chris! H OW TO Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. I work with many businesses Maine is not unique. 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