57: Building Leaders in Your Team with Ash Rhodes

Charlotte Ward: 0:13

Hello and welcome to episode 57 of the Customer Support Leaders Podcast. I'm Charlotte Ward. The theme for this week is Building Leaders in Your Team. So stay tuned for five leaders talking about that very topic. I'd like to welcome back to the podcast today my very good friend Ash Rhodes. Hey Ash, nice to have you back. Today the topic is building leaders in your team. And I would love for you to spend a few minutes with me talking about that.

Ash Rhodes: 0:48

Well, thank you very much for having me. And I love the idea and the entire concept of uh promoting from within and finding talent and uh encouraging it, whether it is for leadership or for other places within your organization. So yeah, you happen to hit on a topic that is near and dear to my heart. So let's dive in.

Charlotte Ward: 1:13

Perfect. Yeah, let's dive in. So so let's start with maybe what you're looking for. What are you looking for in potential leaders?

Ash Rhodes: 1:22

Genuinely somebody who likes to help. I mean everybody in customer support likes to help, but this is like the next level. Somebody who is constantly jumping in to not just help the customers, but their fellow teammates is the first and foremost. Who is the first person to put their hand up to guide new people to the team who is who's just going above and beyond each and every day for everything? Those are the people who just have kind of a sense of selflessness that is required for leadership. Anybody who is really, really jumping to be a leader, uh no matter what, you you want to be a little bit afraid of, not afraid of, you want to you want to be cautious about because you do want to keep your eyes open for people who want to be a leader for the wrong reasons. Whether it's because they don't like doing day-to-day work, they they only see you not in the queue, they only see you in meetings, and so they think meetings aren't hard, or they only see projects and they think projects aren't hard.

Charlotte Ward: 2:25

Yeah. Um I think you say a couple of of really key things there. One is that when you're looking for leaders, you're neither looking for people who want to be leaders or people who are just really good at their existing jobs. You are looking for people. I mean, you said go above and beyond, and we're just to be really clear, we're not talking about hours, are we? We're no. Yeah, we're talking we're talking about something else here, right? What are we talking about, Ash?

Ash Rhodes: 2:53

I'm sorry, I would jump all over you. Yes. Um, you are not looking at someone who's coming in early and staying late. You're not looking at just the person who's doing the most tickets. I'm looking at people, or or at least I like to see people who like to just help, who like to be helpful and who are willing to volunteer to help out with whatever is um is needed. And that kind of willingness to throw in and be of assistance above and beyond just the the narrow focus of the job requirements, um, it it kind of shows a flexibility of mind that is kind of required in in my experience for really true leadership. Does that make sense?

Charlotte Ward: 3:47

Yeah, I it it absolutely does. Yeah, I think that I'd even slightly extend it and say that while there is an element here of supporting the supporters, that we're looking for people who have that willingness to engage with things that are beyond the everyday. In my mind, I think what I'm taking from what you're saying, and certainly my own view in the past, has been you're looking for people who are willing to engage in the things that you might kind of call, for want of a better word, extracurricular, like little projects, little initiatives, little little ways that are still important and will improve the the lot of their teammates, right?

Ash Rhodes: 4:35

But the lot of the teammates, the department, the company, and in fact the customer.

Charlotte Ward: 4:40

Um it's about ownership as well. I guess it is, yes.

Ash Rhodes: 4:44

Not just personal ownership, but whole but but a holistic ownership. Kind of a we're all in it together, roll up your sleeves kind of attitude thing.

Charlotte Ward: 4:55

Let's get this done. Let's get this done. Which is which is the hallmark of a I I think that's one of the phrases that a good leader will often use. Let's get this done.

Ash Rhodes: 5:05

That's what that's what will show me that a person is has got those seeds. Um, as far as like bringing them out, I think, I think for all leaders, it's a little bit of a stress moment, is when you start giving them projects on their own. You you first you you nurture them along and everything, and you help them as the training wheels, but then you take the training wheels off and you give them projects and you let them go. And you give them um like milestones and you check in with them only at the milestones. Um, but you let them just fail or succeed completely on their own. And it is, it is, it's one of the most stressful things that ever happens for me. Um, is just trying to not check in over and over again. How's that project?

Charlotte Ward: 6:02

I I'm gonna very badly misquote George Elliott here, but there is, and I can't oh, for shame, I can't even remember what novel, but she draws a parallel, and I think she draws a parallel with motherhood, which I can relate to, but I think the same is true of bringing leaders out in our team, and that is that it's our job to edge our fledglings along along the branch from the nest and slightly push them off and watch them fly, hopefully. That's it for today. Go to customersupportleaders.com forward slash fifty-seven for the show notes, and I'll see you next time.