The Answer is Who
Immature leaders nurse on the bottle of disappointment. Yes, people have weaknesses and shortcomings. But you don’t bring out their best by sucking on the bottle of frustration.
The people on your team aren’t the enemy.
People deliver results, not programs, systems, charts, or processes. Solutions are in people.
Nurture openness:
Distracted leaders are overconcerned about what to do.
The answer to what is who.
Openness expands your perspective. Seek input from others. Describe a goal. Ask:
- What issues should we be concerned about?
- What steps would you take to reach this goal?
- What do we need to be sure to do? Not do?
Show respect:
If you enjoy the least bit of respect, use it to let others know they matter.
Show respect by greeting people as if they are more important than work.
- Stand up.
- Smile.
- Shake hands.
- Pat them on the back.
- Say, “I’m glad to see you.”
- Give a compliment.
- Inquire about one of their projects. (You might inquire about family, hobby, or interests.)
Showing respect is cost free. All it requires is humility.
Include others in your growth:
Declare a growth intention and seek input from trusted colleagues or employees.
- I’m working to better connect with people. What suggestions do you have?
- I’m striving to treat people with respect. If you were me, what would you do?
- I want to be an inspirational leader. What might I do to inspire people?
The suggestions others make may feel like square pegs in round holes. Try them anyway, as long as they won’t cause harm.
What causes leaders to forget that leadership is about people?
How might leaders reinforce the value of people?
I’m not sure a true Leader actually forgets it’s about people, I think they get distracted being pulled in so many directions perhaps, they just become overwhelming statistics of the show.
To reinforce the value of people, don’t above them in the back/throw them under the bus.
Make sure they know you are there for them, wherever, whenever they need you.
Dear Dan,
An interesting post with good message!
Humility is a very essential quality of the good respected leader and really counts well while dealing with people, internal as well as external. The pressure of work awhile fulfilling the tasks with deadlines or meeting weekly/monthly targets push leaders to be tough and arrogant with the team members. The fear of failure is the major cause for leaders to behave differently resulting in unhealthy work environment and damaged relations.
It’s better to be transperant and work on the team’s involvement with commitment on the set goals. Also, provide the right guidance and show the way to ensure success.
Humility is a hard trait to acquire. I surmise it comes from: good dose of “hard knocks”, reflection, a little bit of emotional and spiritual intelligence, a sense of “balance interests between self and society”, a sense of proportion that each of us is only “one among 7billion (and on a pale blue dot of an infinite cosmos)” and not much more; realization that “you may not be missed when you are not around” etc. (what else am I missing?)
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“Develop the ability to put personal performance in perspective. Over a long career, you will experience both success and failure. Humility in success and courage in failure are hallmarks of a good leader.”
– One of 11points, C.K.Prahalad’s pens in a beautiful 1-pager on “responsible manager”
https://hbr.org/2010/01/column-the-responsible-manager
Great article. “Showing respect is cost free. All it requires is humility.” To this, I would add sincerity. Without it, people will pick up on the “lip service” being directed their way, and dismiss any effort to involve them. I work with a boss who will regularly walk into the office bypassing every desk,not even making eye contact with anyone. If he did, he might catch the eye-rolling that generates. Perhaps he’s distracted by something going on, but more days than not? It’s hard to believe that, and peoples’ confidence in him, as well as morale, takes a hit.
I really like this article, especially the last part on asking others how you should go about something. I think we forget or I know for me, I often wonder how others view me. When you ask these pointed questions about how you should go about doing something, you may get a glimpse of how people view you. When you get that glimpse, you may find out that you need improvement in the way you communicate or come across. When you include others in your growth, you may find out more about yourself than you would think.