John Stanko

"When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he
summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army
commanders who had come with him, 'Come here and
put your feet on the necks of these kings.' So they came
forward and placed their feet on their necks" - Joshua 10:24.

Joshua had just led the army in a defeat of five armies and their kings after the sun stood still to aid his campaign against them. The five kings fled but Joshua and his men captured them. Then Joshua had the commanders who fought with him come forward and put their feet on the necks of the captured kings to give those commanders a taste of what real battle against real enemies was supposed to feel like and how it was supposed to end. Effective leaders are always coaching and teaching others to prepare them for 'battle,' whatever the battle in their business represents. That means those leaders give interesting work assignments and opportunities that will allow their subordinates to grow and blossom.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Your Step today is to identify who your key leaders are to be part of your organization's leadership team. Then you should identify the strengths of each one, and then fashion an action plan for each one that will allow them to grow and develop. That should include interesting work assignments that will both stimulate and challenge them to develop and grow. That plan may include additional schooling, for which your company should help pay the cost.