As leaders we should develop relationships with our subordinates and understand what drive them. This does not mean we should be best of friends with subordinates and shy away from hard decisions, but we should make the effort to understand the “whole employee”, not only just their work performance but also their personal dynamic (interests, family, stresses, joys, ect…). This happens through conversation and willingness to be vulnerable, the only way to get someone to be open with you is for you to be willing to be open and vulnerable with them. Leaders value their greatest resource and put people first, I am reminded of a creed I have lived by for a long time that includes “…My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind, the accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers (employees)…” unfortunately some leaders replace the “and” in that line with “then” but that’s not leadership, leadership puts people equal to (or slightly above) mission accomplishment always preserving that precious resource. I truly believe that there are no bad teams just bad leaders, so let’s be accountable to ourselves and our employees (and in turn hold them accountable), continuously forgive and create an environment that emboldens you subordinates where you assume positive intent in actions or deeds. In doing so we can build an environment of trust and loyalty within our organizations with less turnover and greater stability.
As leaders we should develop relationships with our subordinates and understand what drive them. This does not mean we should be best of friends with subordinates and shy away from hard decisions, but we should make the effort to understand the “whole employee”, not only just their work performance but also their personal dynamic (interests, family, stresses, joys, ect…). This happens through conversation and willingness to be vulnerable, the only way to get someone to be open with you is for you to be willing to be open and vulnerable with them. Leaders value their greatest resource and put people first, I am reminded of a creed I have lived by for a long time that includes “…My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind, the accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers (employees)…” unfortunately some leaders replace the “and” in that line with “then” but that’s not leadership, leadership puts people equal to (or slightly above) mission accomplishment always preserving that precious resource. I truly believe that there are no bad teams just bad leaders, so let’s be accountable to ourselves and our employees (and in turn hold them accountable), continuously forgive and create an environment that emboldens you subordinates where you assume positive intent in actions or deeds. In doing so we can build an environment of trust and loyalty within our organizations with less turnover and greater stability.