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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has been both praised and scrutinized since its inception, but it does shed light on your needs as a leader and on the needs of your people.

The five levels are as follows:

1. Physiological – This level is about the physical essentials of life (things like water, food, clothing, and shelter).
2. Safety – This speaks to the environment that surrounds you and its impact on you and your people.
3. Social – This is about relationships, connection, and communication.
4. Esteem – This is how you perceive yourself. It speaks to confidence.
5. Self-Actualization – This is about your highest goals and aspirations. It is where mission, vision, and values meet legacy.

Now, here’s the thing. It is hard to set goals and do your highest levels of legacy work if you are struggling with any of the first three levels. The gap is too broad. Those first three levels provide a foundation for success.

Apply this to yourself as a leader and to your team members, and you will see that your real responsibilities as a leader go far beyond a product and a spreadsheet. Your real mission is to build people, and that includes yourself.

How Can You Build Yourself and Others?

Glad you asked!

Let’s go back to the hierarchy.

Physiological

Several years ago, a movie called The Pursuit of Happyness debuted. It was a true-life story of a struggling homeless salesman who became a stockbroker (and later a business owner and multi-millionaire). This was his Level 1 period of life, which he, admirably, overcame.

But here’s the thing: his bosses didn’t know he was homeless.

Now think about your team. Are any struggling to meet their basic needs? Do you know them well enough to know whether they have these foundational essentials? If they are struggling to get by, can you provide opportunities for growth and better income?

As a leader, you likely have your physical needs met. But take time to assess your level of health and energy. Are you doing the things you need to do to optimize these so you can serve others?

Safety

Especially nowadays, people need to feel safe. This means doing all you can to protect your people physically by providing a safe place to work. It means providing a safe space for them to come to you with concerns and questions, without fear of retribution. And it means creating a company that provides good job security.

Social

Relationships, connection, and communication are essential human needs. And this holds true in the workplace as well. If you have a team where each member feels connected, heard, and like part of a “family”, you have a team that can move mountains. It is your responsibility as a leader to set this example.

And this includes your outside relationships as well. Good leaders have good relationships outside work, with family, friends, and in their communities. Sacrificing social connections to build a business is cutting off a foundational lifeline you cannot afford to lose.

Esteem

When physical, safety, and social needs are met, a person will begin to feel more secure in themselves as well. This is where you, as a leader, have an amazing opportunity to build people!

Take time to study your team members’ strengths. Note when they are working in their strengths and seek ways to help them grow into more of that kind of work. As you build the confidence and skills of each team member, you are also building future leaders of the organization.

Self-Actualization

As any parent will tell you, the pinnacle of joy is seeing your children or your grandchildren shine. The same is true of teachers when their students find their passion and experience great success.

As a leader, your greatest reward will be in the legacy you build in others. It is you reaching your highest levels of success and then turning around to help others reach theirs.

Action Plan

Take time this week to do a gap analysis for yourself and for your team.

• What levels are well established?
• And what level needs the most attention?

Then, determine what you can do in the next 90 days to shore up that level so you and your team can move to the next level in the next round.

For valuable resources on Leadership Strengths and Tools, click here.

Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after executive coach, mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide. Deb is well versed in business operations and in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high performance team building and effective communication. She has a passion for leading people to discover and maximize their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve high performance. Deb is the perfect fit if you’re ready to take your leadership and impact to the next level!