Listen Up, Leader (#35)

Leave a comment

There are some really great leaders, some not-so-great-leaders…and then there are really bad leaders. There are terrible leaders, micro managers, impatient leaders, selfish leaders, egotistical leaders, unappreciative leaders, unreasonable leaders, and weak leaders who are afraid to do their job. And maybe the worst kind of leader is the leader who doesn’t listen.

Some leaders think that they wake up with an invisible cape around their shoulders that makes them the expert in all things. If you are a leader (and we are all leaders in some way), I am delighted to tell you that you don’t know everything.

Regardless of how long you have been in your industry, your company, or your particular role (even as leader in the home), you really do not know everything. The world is changing at an incredible pace, your competitors are getting smarter, and technology is throwing new curve balls at your organization every day. It isn’t possible to know everything, and only the most arrogant or ignorant leader would think otherwise. Your title did not come with superpowers. (And by the way, your team is already painfully aware that you don’t know everything!)

The antidote to this ill: be curious. Ask questions about issues. Invite your team and those who do have the details to weigh in and give you advice. Trust them. Recognize that they are closer to the details, closer to the problems, closer to the consequences of your decision, and closer to the customer. They will have an important perspective and critical details which you will need to make a quality decision. I admit that they also have limited knowledge of some of the other details you must consider. Nonetheless, be curious, get the facts, and whenever possible let them in on your thought process.

Leaders may make the final decision in many cases (though a good leader knows when they can allow others to decide), yet they should not do so without soliciting and listening to the advice of their team and seriously considering the implications of their decision. Be honest, who should you be listening to more often? This week, surprise your team as you seek to listen more and exhibit a genuine spirit of curiosity about their vantage point.

Exit Sign

What Kind of Leader Do You Want To Be? (Post #19)

Leave a comment

In the last post, we talked about applying intentional effort to developing the kind of person we want to BE, and starting the process by developing a BE List. Today, I want to take that idea one step further and apply it to leadership.

How often have you considered what type of leader you want to be, the type of legacy you want to leave or for what you want to be known? In the course of our busy work lives, we barely have time to think at all let alone consider something so intangible and seemingly nonurgent. However, who you are to those you lead – wherever you lead – is critically important. In the next post we will discuss how this question supports the productivity and effectiveness of what you are leading. Today we will focus on you.

Consider your retirement. Whether you have a big party or quietly fade into the sunset, you will leave a legacy. Either a positive legacy or a negative legacy. When you retire, what do you want people to truthfully say about you? This is not about whether you made friends at work, this is a question of integrity and who you are personally as a leader. Will you be revered for your integrity, fairness, and innovation? Or will your team be counting the days until they’re free of your tyranny?

Now, let’s think a little closer to the present day. Since the old norm of working for the same employer for one’s entire career is now generally unheard of, most of us will work for multiple employers during our work lives. So, when you move on to your next opportunity, what do you want people to remember, and say about you (because you know they will talk)? Do you want them glad you left or left feeling the loss? Do you want to be hard to replace, or not needing replacement at all?

Regardless of the reputation you have built thus far, today you can reinvent yourself and begin building the legacy you truly want. Spend some time this week – literally set aside time on your calendar – giving genuine thought to designing your leadership character.

Oh, and remember…leadership isn’t limited to the workplace.

Not Enough Good Leadership! (Post #16)

1 Comment

Good leadership can often feel like a difficult maze of trial and error, navigating endless issues and convoluted drama. But, I contend, that nothing is as rewarding a good leadership and nothing transcends every area of life like leading well. Whether leading a major corporation, a medium-sized urban church, a rural community group, or a household, leadership pays off in big ways.

I am often saddened by the lack of good leadership I see in the world around me. People in high positions that have been grossly promoted beyond their leadership capacity and without a hunger to grow and learn to lead better. I admit, leadership is a journey. One never really “gets there” but it is in the growing that we learn to do better, lead wiser, dust ourselves off, ask forgiveness for our failures, and move forward better than we were before.

I believe we owe it to the people around us to keep learning how to lead better…the people and organizations you lead deserve the best you can give and they are worth the effort!

Join me as we explore leadership topics from the real world, so we can all learn to lead better together.

Enough Leadership? (Post #11)

2 Comments

Good leadership can often feel like a difficult maze of trial and error, navigating endless issues and convoluted drama. But, I contend, that nothing is as rewarding as good leadership and nothing transcends every area of life like leading well. Whether leading a major corporation, a medium-sized urban church, a rural community group, or a household, leadership pays off in big ways.

I am often saddened by the lack of good leadership I see in the world around me. People in high positions that have been grossly promoted beyond their leadership capacity and without a hunger to grow and learn to lead better. I admit, leadership is a journey. No one is a perfect leader. One never really “gets there” but it is in the growing that we learn to do better, lead wiser, dust ourselves off, ask forgiveness for our failures, and move forward better than we were before.

I believe we owe it to the people around us to keep learning how to lead better…the people and organizations you lead deserve the best you can give and they are worth the effort! Join me as we study this topic, share insights, and learn to lead for good.

You are never a bother…really! (Post #9)

Leave a comment

How do you feel when someone on your teams calls? On the weekend? At 10:00 PM? On vacation?

One of the critical mistakes some leaders make is to seem bothered when staff call. I have an absolute open door, open phone policy. My team knows they are welcomed to call me if they need anything – any day, any time. In part this is necessary because I am rarely in my office, but it is also one of my deeply held leadership beliefs. I want them to know that we’re in this work together, they aren’t on their own. So, they always have access to me. I am never too busy or too important to be there for them.

I guess I learned this from my mom. No matter where I was in the world and no matter what time of day or night, if I called, she always seemed glad. One spring break I went on a mission trip to serve the homeless on Staten Island. At around 1:00 AM one night our team was just returning to the church where we were staying. I was eager to tell my mom about our week thus far and headed to the phone to make the collect call (this was well before cell phones, folks). My friends gasped, attesting how upset their parents would be at being awakened in the middle of the night. They were astonished that my mom was genuinely delighted I called. I felt so proud that she would welcome my call. I guess that is the gift I want my team to experience as well.

You see, as a leader, I know that if I am bothered or seem interrupted or unhappy to hear from my team, they will know it. And it will make them feel uncomfortable. If you make your team feel uncomfortable when they call, they will stop calling. And then you will miss a critical window of opportunity to avoid mistakes, gain intel, or invest in an employee. And you know their mistakes will be your issue to clean up. You will also miss the critical “heads up” that could save the day or the organization’s reputation.

Oh sure, there are times when I’m tired or stressed, but they can never know that. After all, that’s my baggage to carry (that’s a post for another day). There are times when the timing is really bad, and I let the call go to voicemail. But staff know that I value them, and I will get back to them as soon as I can. A few critical team members even know a signal for which I would interrupt anything to take their call.

My calm demeanor in the mundane gives them confidence to call in the crisis. If my team makes a mistake, I want to be the first to know. I want to be able to coach them through it and minimize the damage. I want them to hear my calm, reassuring voice on the other end telling them that we will get through it together (which means I must be calm even if I don’t want to be, even if I really don’t know if it can be fixed). But staff will not feel comfortable calling when they have made a big mistake if I seem upset when they call for more routine matters.

You may be worried about overuse or being too accessible. Throughout all my years in leadership positions – including 10 years in C-Suite leadership – I can honestly say staff treat this access judiciously. They have never overused their access, and I have never been upset that they called. If it ever does get overused, then it would just be a good coaching opportunity.

Invariably, they start by saying they are sorry to bother me, and I always say “You are never a bother” – and I mean it. I am delighted to be there for them.