I’ve been thinking a lot about the staff I lead lately. I see the stresses they find themselves under due to being short staffed, or the challenges they have in leading and following each other well, and the simple reality that we are, or more accurately, must work together in spite of our differences to accomplish great things. Those differences include our unique strengths but also our personal limitations where they have the potential of negatively affect those we work alongside.
So I asked myself today what my staff need from me to do things well here at CrossRoads. While I can site all kinds of books and lists for what it takes to be a great boss, I think I even have a book on my shelf with that title, I would rather talk about those things that I personally am aware of and I urgently need to change and do different tomorrow.I’ve identified seven.
First up, they need my intentional presence.This doesn’t mean that I think I am so full of my own importance that I think they all need my personal autograph and I better check often to see if they need it upgraded. The simple fact is this; most employees are experts at generating and tracking to their own perceptions of how the organization is lead and what the motivating factors are that internally drive the person at the helm. As long as a leader makes his or her self scarce to those they lead, those misguided perceptions will be the most predominate driving force in the working habits of the staff.
This also doesn’t mean that I need to make a nice tidy little schedule of when I shall spend time with individuals or teams on the staff. What I am talking about here is that I need to make sure I find myself rubbing shoulders with my staff often, engaging in conversation with them regardless of the topic at hand. I’m so wired to say what I need to say and then leave, or finish a meeting and head to my office, or work through my lunch to maximize my alone time that I completely miss the opportunities of knowing and hearing the staff and understanding who they are and what they are passionate about.
While I’ve known and thought about this in the past and have made some half hearted attempts to correct my approach, this much change. The health of my staff cannot afford me walking down a hall, past an open office, an occupied cubical, through a meeting room, without acknowledging the person(s) I am being presented with. They are far too valuable ignore.
This is a hard one to correct. Its habit is based on a belief that a leader has more important things to accomplish than conversation, and that if they are done immediately, the greater good will win the day. The correct belief would be that opportunities to slow down and engage with a staff member will better serve the greater good and win at the end of the day. I’m sure there is a balance to this, or at least my mind tells me this. But I’m going to take this new belief out for a spin on the staff and see how it works.Are you wired to task and in a position of leadership. What will you do different tomorrow? Are you willing to try and have 3-5 more conversations a day with your staff?
Second up . . . perhaps tomorrow.
