Provide: Equipping Others for Success
"Making sure that they have what they need for success. You don't necessarily have to provide everything, but often the leader is in a position to provide things that those they lead can't get for themselves." - Terry Cook
In Terry Cook's Trusted Leader Model, the third essential element of demonstrable care is providing - ensuring people have what they need to succeed and thrive. This includes tangible resources, opportunities, feedback, and support.
Why Providing Matters
Providing is central to care for several powerful reasons:
It Makes Success Possible: People can only achieve what they're equipped and empowered to accomplish.
It Demonstrates Investment: Providing resources shows a commitment to people's success.
It Removes Obstacles: Leaders can often address barriers that team members cannot overcome alone.
It Creates Opportunity: Leaders have access to resources, connections, and opportunities they can extend to others.
The Providing Challenge
Cook notes that leaders don't "necessarily have to provide everything," but are often "in a position to provide things that those they lead can't get for themselves."
This highlights several important nuances:
Discernment is Required: Leaders must determine what to provide directly versus what to help people obtain for themselves.
Access is Uneven: Leaders typically have access to resources and opportunities that others don't.
Empowerment Balances Support: Providing should enable greater capability, not create dependency.
Practicing Providing
Here are practical ways to strengthen the "providing" element of care in your leadership:
Identify and Address Resource Needs
Ask Directly: "What resources would help you be more effective in your role?"
Remove Obstacles: "What's getting in the way of your success that I could help address?"
Anticipate Needs: Proactively offer resources before they're requested when possible.
Create Growth Opportunities
Delegate Developmentally: Assign tasks that stretch capabilities while providing appropriate support.
Facilitate Exposure: Create opportunities for team members to interact with senior leaders or participate in important initiatives.
Identify Learning Experiences: Connect people with training, mentoring, or projects that develop their capabilities.
Offer Meaningful Feedback
Provide Specific Praise: Recognize and reinforce specific contributions and strengths.
Give Developmental Feedback: Offer observations and suggestions that help people grow.
Create Feedback Loops: Establish regular opportunities for two-way feedback.
Use Positional Influence
Advocate Upward: Represent team members' contributions and needs to higher levels of leadership.
Make Connections: Introduce team members to people in your network who could help them.
Allocate Resources: Direct budgets, time, and attention toward enabling team success.
This post is the third in a series exploring Terry Cook's four elements of demonstrable care: Know, Connect, Provide, and Protect. Check out the previous posts on "Know: The Foundation of Caring Leadership" and "Connect: Building Empathy in Leadership." Stay tuned for the final installment on "Protect: Creating Safety and Security."