“As nearly everyone knows, a leader has practically nothing to do except to decide what is to be done;
…tell somebody to do it;
…listen to reasons why it should not be done or why it should be done in a different way;
…follow up to see if the thing has been done;
…discover that it has not; inquire why;
…listen to excuses from the person who should have done it;
…follow up again to see if the thing has been done only to discover that it has been done incorrectly;
…point out how it should have been done;
…conclude that as long as it has been done, it may as well be left where it is;
…wonder if it is not time to get rid of the person who cannot do anything right;
…reflect that the person probably has a spouse and a large family and any successor would be just as bad and maybe worse;
…consider how much simpler and better matters would be now if he had done it himself in the first place;
…reflect sadly that he could have done it right in twenty minutes and, as things turned out, he has had to spend two days to find out why it has taken three weeks for somebody else to do it wrong.”
If you laughed—or groaned—reading that, you might be a leader, and you’re not alone. 🙂
The Beautiful Problem We Don’t Have
Here’s the good news for those of us in network marketing and affiliate marketing: We don’t have employees.
We don’t hire. We don’t fire. We don’t deal with HR nightmares, payroll headaches, or the soul-crushing business of managing people who show up just for a check. For many traditional entrepreneurs I know, managing employees is the single biggest pain point of running a business.
We get to skip all that and should be very thankful.
But We Can’t Skip Leadership
If you want to expand your influence, create lasting impact, and build something that outlives your daily efforts, you have to grow people. There’s no way around it.
An ancient Chinese proverb puts it this way:
“If you’re planning for one year, grow rice. If you are planning for 20 years, grow trees. If you are planning for centuries, grow men.”
Growing people is the long game. It’s messy. It’s frustrating. It often feels like an exercise in futility.
Someone once said
“The best thing about home business is that anyone can join and the worst thing about home business, is that anyone can join.”
But it’s also the most rewarding thing we can do and the only way to build something that lasts.
How to Develop Leaders Without Losing Your Mind (Or All Your Time)
So how do you grow leaders in your home business without drowning in endless one-on-one conversations, hand-holding, and frustration?
Here are some ideas that have worked for me:
1. Consistent Group Coaching
Remember the weekly hotel meetings? (or are you too young for that, you little whippersnapper?).
They’ve evolved into conference calls, Zoom sessions, and live streams.
The format doesn’t matter—the consistency and leverage does.
When you show up regularly to coach your team as a group, you accomplish three things simultaneously: you provide value, you set an example of commitment, and you create community.
2. Systematized Training via an Organized Team Site
Stop reinventing the wheel every time someone joins.
Create a centralized hub with your best training materials, success stories, product information, and step-by-step processes.
This allows new team members to get started without requiring hours of your personal time, and it ensures everyone receives consistent messaging.
3. Consistent Email Newsletter
Not everyone will attend your meetings. Life happens. Time zones differ. Energy levels vary. But nearly everyone checks their email.
A regular newsletter keeps your entire team connected. It’s like a little fishing line you can throw out there with news & tips to reel them back in from distracted waters.
It reminds them why they joined, and helps them keep some of the fire alive, even if they’re not plugging into the events.
4. Consistent Content (Blog or YouTube Channel)
Creating public-facing content serves double duty: it attracts new prospects while simultaneously training your existing team. When you regularly share insights, strategies, and inspiration through a blog or YouTube channel, you’re building a library of leadership development that works 24/7 on your behalf.
5. Be Available for Developing Leaders
Here’s a truth that will save you a lot unnecessary stress & hassle: Your best leaders find you.
Would it surprise you to know that I’ve never once in my career, set out to “Recruit” the heavy hitter, and yet, I’m surrounded by powerful leaders?
This is because the best people seem to find the best people. When you focus on doing all you can, to be all you can – somehow, the best connections happen.
And they’re easy to identify…
Leaders stick their heads up. They show up to the events. They take consistent action. They only reach out when they genuinely need your specific advice, usually after doing all they can to find their own answers.
And when you give it, they appreciate it and apply it.
These are the people worth your one-on-one time.
Pour into them generously.
6. Live In-Person Events (At Least Yearly)
Nothing—and I mean nothing—develops leaders like gathering in person. Virtual connection is valuable, but face-to-face interaction builds deep relationships, creates unshakeable trust, casts compelling vision, and forges genuine community. If you want to grow people who stay, who lead, and who transform, invest in bringing them together at least once a year.
The Critical Mistake to Avoid: You Can’t Push a Rope
Here’s where most well-intentioned leaders go wrong: They try to “make” people do things.
They chase. They nag. They guilt. They push harder and harder on team members who aren’t responding, convinced that with just the right words or one more motivational message, they’ll finally get moving.
Stop.
You can’t push a rope. It doesn’t work mechanically, and it doesn’t work with people.
Instead, set an example, provide resources, continue to build yourself, and inspire by showing the ones who show up how great it is to live the life you’re living—the results, the lifestyle, and the impact.
You preach to the choir because they’re the ones with butts in the seats.
Focus your energy on the people who are actually present and engaged, and you’ll be amazed at how much further your influence extends.
What Your Best Leaders Actually Look Like
- They show up to serve and lighten your load
- They watch out for you and help you see blind spots
- They’re self-directed and take action without being told
- They contribute without needing constant recognition
- They respect their time and therefore respect yours
- They’re positive and genuinely fun to work with
- They’re fiercely loyal and will, and do go to battle for and with you every day
When you find these people, count your lucky stars and express gratitude for them in every way you can, to let them know how much you genuinely appreciate them.
Invest in them, serve them, love them, do your best to make things better for them, because the best of what they give, deserves to be rewarded with the best of what you can give.
Additional Tips for Growing Leaders
7. Create a Recognition System That Matters Public recognition (in newsletters, on calls, at events) motivates developing leaders and shows the rest of the team what success looks like.
Celebrate specific actions and behaviors, not just results.
8. Share Your Failures, Not Just Your Wins New leaders need to see that setbacks are normal. When you’re transparent about your journey—you give them permission to be imperfect and keep going.
9. Encourage Peer Mentorship You can’t personally develop every leader on your team. Create a culture where experienced team members naturally mentor newer ones. This multiplies your impact and develops leadership skills in your mentors.
10. Set Clear Expectations Early Let new team members know from day one: This business isn’t like buying a lottery ticket or pulling a slot machine lever in Vegas.
Success requires consistent action, personal growth, and patience. The people who thrive are those who show up regularly and focus on adding value to others.
By the way: This is why “Get Rich Quick” messaging in home business is one of the worst ways to attract customers and team members… It sets up the wrong expectations and is DEATH for building long lasting residual income.
Mistakes That Kill Leadership Development
Trying to Develop Everyone Equally You have limited time and energy. Not everyone wants to be a leader or is ready for it. Focus your personal attention on those showing up and taking action.
You might be able to carry one on your back, but you can’t carry ten.
-Jim Rohn
Rescuing Instead of Coaching When a team member faces a challenge, resist the urge to swoop in and fix it for them. Ask questions. Help them think through solutions. Leaders develop through problem-solving, not through having problems solved for them.
Ignoring Your Own Development You can’t lead people where you haven’t been yourself. If you’re not reading, learning, attending events, and pushing your own growth, your team will plateau where you plateau.
Creating Dependency Instead of Independence If your team can’t function without you constantly available, you haven’t built leaders—you’ve built followers. Design your systems to create independence, not dependency.
The World Needs This Kind of Leader
This world needs leaders who use their influence at the right times for the right reasons;
…who take a little greater share of the blame and a little smaller share of the credit;
…who lead themselves successfully before attempting to lead others;
…who continue to search for the best answer, not the familiar one;
…who add value to the people and the organizations they lead;
…who work for the benefit of others and not for personal gain; who handle themselves with their heads and handle others with their hearts;
…who know the way, go the way, and show the way; who inspire and motivate rather than intimidate and manipulate;
…who realize that their dispositions are more important than their positions; who mold opinions instead of following opinion polls;
…who understand that an institution is the reflection of their character; who never place themselves above others except in carrying responsibilities;
…who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who discipline themselves so they will not be disciplined by others;
…who encounter setbacks and turn them into comebacks; and who follow a moral compass that points in the right direction regardless of the trends.
-John Maxwell
The Bottom Line
If you’re growing, there comes a time in your home business career, when you realize that money is the shell, people and the good they can do, the nut.
Grow the people, love the people, serve the people and they’ll thank you with their dollars and more importantly, their hearts, minds, hands & time.
This doesn’t mean all the people, but it does mean the right ones.
The only way the world gets better, is for us, as people to get better.
I guess you could say, the fate of the world is in our hands.
No pressure. 😉
PS: Thank you so much for reading. What thoughts/ideas were stimulated for you? Would love to hear below.
PPS: If you need help with any of the stuff mentioned in this post here are a few resources…
- Our daily Grow Rich Mastermind (non company specific, daily group coaching/community)
- Team Site Builder : To use this for a team training site, you’d watch the “Membership Sites Training”
- Personal Growth & Productivity App: A great way to get your team growing and taking action daily without you being there. I use this every day, all day and it’s by far my favorite app. Plus it pays $8 residuals.
- The Ultimate Residual income Machine: If you’re looking for something to join that already has everything mentioned in this post in place… so you don’t have to create it or build it all by yourself, this might be worth taking a close look at.
Wow Really lliked this article. It felt like a day of training.
Thank you Joseph! So happy to hear that..