I have had the privilege of leading many teams in my career. And I’m managing a few people in my current role. And I hope one thing that comes through is that I truly care about the people I work with. I’m not interested in power or prestige. I want to help them. And I care about their well-being. This doesn’t mean I accept less than anyone’s best or that I don’t have high standards. But I do try to be empathetic and to bend and flex when necessary. When that bending and flexing is the difference between success and happiness or failure, attrition or ill feelings.
Not everyone leads this way. And that’s ok. But I have found that when I can be honest and true with people our relationship is stronger. And this strength leads to confidence and growth.
Trust to me means that someone actually cares about me and not just the job I do. I need to be seen as a person first, which creates commonality and allows for true understanding. I try to see the people I manage this way.
Knowing what motivates. What inspires. And what doesn’t. These are valuable tools to leading people well and ultimately setting them up for success and a feeling of accomplishment.
I don’t always do it right. I make many mistakes. But you would be hard pressed to find an example of me not caring, giving up, or writing someone off.
