Join us for a conversation about building a team that thrives with and without you. Dennis Dowdell is a best-selling author of Maximize You. One of my favorite parts of the interview is the story of how he trains people to replace him.

1. Leadership principles and frameworks

Dennis shared frameworks for leadership like knowing what comes next, importance of tasks, and utilizing available resources. Effective leadership is about performance, not position.

2. Developing leaders through systems and processes

Dennis explained his tell-show-do system for training others through demonstration and practice. Regular check-ins and encouragement build competence and confidence over 90 days.

3. Building confidence through competence

Trainees learn by teaching, deepening their skills and replacing Dennis. Continuous growth happens through challenging roles like training others.

4. Transitioning to a new phase of work

At 74, Dennis launched Maximize You to share his experience developing leaders worldwide. Marketing himself is challenging without previous support systems. He hired coaches to refine his processes.

5. Assumptions that enable leadership

Dennis assumes people do what makes sense to them and want to grow, make a difference and avoid failure. By focusing on others' potential, one can accomplish more than believed possible through encouragement.

You can learn more about Maria Maldonado Smith over at MMS Consulting. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn.

As always, if you have any questions or want to submit a guest for the podcast that you think would be amazing, just reach out to me on the Dig to Fly website, and I’ll do my best to get them on. If you enjoy the interview, please take 30 seconds to rate the Systematic Leader podcast on your favorite platform. Thanks!