How to Grow High-Performance Leaders

The demand for effective leadership today far exceeds the supply. Leadership skills are not only crucial when building a company, but they are also critical to maintaining and nurturing a workforce. However, a quick look at leadership development in most organizations appears to be as flawed as teaching students to ride a horse without ever putting them in the saddle. Here are four shifts every high-performance leader must take with techniques for managing the shift.

Nurturing the “I Can” through Trust 

The “I Can” moment happens when leadership potential flickers and trust fans it into flame. Trust is the bridge that allows truth to travel freely. If a person fails to trust you, they will not hear you. When that person trust, and you say, “You can do this,” it plants quality seeds into the soil of self-worth. Great leaders make others feel seen, safe and supported. Great leaders listen deeply, act generously, and offer challenges lovingly. Todd has found that leaders are not developed by being pushed into performance—but by pulling out their potential and using trust and respect as the power source. When great leaders give people a task—they provide them with belief along with it.

When Chip was a young boy, he often accompanied his grandfather to town to buy bags of feed for his cows. In public, his grandfather always introduced him as Mr. Chip. If the salesperson at the feed store asked him how many bags he wanted loaded in the truck, he would declare, “Mr. Chip can tell you.” It is that type of trust and respect that provides fertile soil for growing high-performance leaders.

Guiding the “I Will” Through Accountability 

“I Will” happens when leadership becomes a choice, not a chance. It is when potential connects with purpose. Great leaders do not manipulate commitment—they inspire it. They foster performance guided by vision, not by guilt. They lead by example. When a leader says, “I will,” that leader aligns with what they value, promise, and stand for. Todd teaches that aspiring leaders who keep their commitments, own their decisions, and show up regardless of convenience promote ultimate trust in those they lead. “I Will” is also where clarity matters. Great leaders remove ambiguity and help people know what is expected—and why it matters.

Chip stopped at the local market near his home on the hunt for a spicy sauce to use as a mop when grilling ribs. The person who waited on him recommended Judge Cline’s No. 9 sauce, produced by a local sauce maker. When Chip expressed concern the sauce might have ingredients that could keep me awake at night, the young clerk took charge of the moment. “If you don’t love it, sir, I’ll buy it back from you!” It was an “I am the warranty” moment. “I will” leaders are leaders you can count on because they view accountability as a vital part of their role.

Igniting the “I Must” Through Cause  

“I Must” happens when leadership shifts from professional to personal. When leaders operate from “I Must,” they have internalized the mission or cause. They lead from conviction, not convenience. And conviction, when rooted in rock solid trust, becomes contagious. Todd teaches leaders that passion without trust is just noise—but passion with trust fuels drive. People do not follow your energy; they follow your authenticity. They follow the spirit that comes from knowing who you are, why you lead, and for whom you are leading. Passionate leaders lead out loud—with vulnerability, humility, and clarity. To exhibit, “This is why I must lead, and this is what is at stake if I don’t,” transforms influence into impact. Trust becomes the oxygen that fuels that fire. In high-trust environments, people don’t just want to perform their job—they want to feel called to it.

“There is an energy field between humans,” wrote philosopher Rollo May. And, when a person reaches out in passion, it is usually met with an answering passion and changes the relationship forever.” Passion takes the plain vanilla out of encounters. And passionate connections provoke passionate responses. The word “passion” is three words in one:  Pass I On. It means we pass the best of who we are on to someone else. When leaders “pass-I-on” to another, it triggers a “pass-me-back” response. Leadership is fundamentally the act of influencing. And the groundwater of leadership passion is cause.

Celebrating the “I’ll Share” Through Community  

The ultimate fruit of high-performance leadership is multiplication. “I’ll Share” is the moment a leader’s ego gives way to legacy. The greatest leaders are those who freely give away what they know, who they are, and how they’ve grown. They do not fear being replaced—they fuel the rise of others. Leadership isn’t a possession; it’s a gift a leader keeps giving. Sharing knowledge, time, access, and wisdom is not viewed a loss—it is lived as an investment. Great leaders know that their highest impact is not in how many followers they have, but in the size of the community of leaders they advance. It means mentoring the next generation, opening doors, giving real-time feedback, and modeling transparency. It is about helping a trust environment to flourish where ideas flow freely, credit is shared generously, and people grow exponentially.

“Real leaders,” wrote John Ellis in Fast Company magazine, “go out and rally the troops, plant the flag, and make a stand. If the issue is confidence, they conduct themselves confidently. If the issue is trust, they make their company’s business transparent. If the issue is character, they tell the truth. They do not shirk responsibility; they assume command. Because a fundamental ingredient of business success is leadership. And the granular stuff of leadership is courage, conviction, and character.”

Written by Todd Duncan and Chip Bell. Todd Duncan is the co-founder of Fuel, the world’s first performance-as-a-service platform for sales teams and leadership designed to redesign business education. He is a famous keynote speaker and the author of 20 books, including the New York Times bestsellers Time Traps and High Trust Selling.  Chip Bell is the founder of the Chip Bell Group, a renowned keynote speaker, and the author of several bestselling books including, Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service, Service Magic, Kaleidoscope, and his newest book, Inside Your Customer’s Imagination.
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