What message are you sending as a leader? I matter more than you? Or we both matter equally?
Running long on a meeting and making others wait. Making sure you are recognized first. Expecting others not to challenge you. Being unaware of those who follow you and what they are working on. These messages get sent all the time. In big ways and in small ways. And people are paying attention. Collectively they can add up to a lot of angst or eventually attrition. But even worse to perpetuation and emulation. These traits are passed on to new leaders and so on and so on.
Making eye contact. Sitting with your team. Actively seeking other perspectives and ideas. Giving credit to others before yourself. These messages also get sent in big and small ways. And people pay attention. Collectively they add up to trust and creative expression and collaboration on new ideas that drive and inspire everyone forward. Better still they are passed on and emulated in new leaders.
The best leaders I’ve ever worked with have been the second kind. They put others first but also know how to push when they believe something is worthwhile. They consider alternatives and are flexible. They seek to know the person not just the worker or athlete. They willingly adapt and adjust if it means long term success. And they don’t have fragile egos. They can take push back and criticism and can admit when they are wrong. In fact they actively seek this out to make sure they are continuing to grow and develop.
No leader is perfect. But the kind of leader I want to be and one that I can get behind and be led by is one who values others and their time just as much as their own.
What kind of leader are you? What traits do you value in a leader?
