One of the values that I have learnt to embrace in my leadership journey is to stay at the front, showing my team an example of committed leadership. Many leaders only want to boss people around. They want to tell others what to do without them lifting a finger to carry anything. They sit in big offices, calling the shots, issuing policies and commands, without proper understanding of what their followers feel or experience. Yet the most important things happen at the grassroots. Those who work daily at the frontline have a better perspective of situations than those who sit on their thrones in large suites overlooking the cityscape. What kind of a leader are you? Do you feel the heartbeat of those you lead? When your followers or team members take a position on an issue, do you care to understand their perspective. Do you even know what those you lead daily? Great leaders are not disconnected from their team but rather get engaged. Leadership is not just about vision and direction. It is also about thoughtfulness, engagement, trust in the followers and direct support for the team. Anytime I see a team fall apart, I question the leadership. This week, I challenge you to be a frontline leader. Your success in leadership hinges on how well you can carry your team from one level to another. Leadership is a hands-on endeavour. Leadership is service delivered with compassion, commitment, and trust. Decide to get to the heart of your leadership by getting involved; by taking the frontline position, showing the way, providing support, and empowering your team to succeed. Stop bossing people around. Be a leader instead. Actions for the week
A quote to remember “Servant leadership is all about making the goals clear and then rolling your sleeves up and doing whatever it takes to help people win. In that situation, they don’t work for you; you work for them.” ― Ken Blanchard Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
2 Comments
Dino
7/7/2023 03:55:04 pm
One of my current struggles is actually the opposite of what ine would expect here. Being in a leadership for over 2 years I started with an approach that relies on trusting people's capabilities and intentions. This slowly transitioned the office from a sweat shop environment to a more casual and comfortable environment. What I am starting to realize now is that the pendulum has swung too far the other way, leaving opportunities for some staff to take advantage and 'hide'. What type of messaging can we use to reverse this negative outcome and get people to understand that this type of trust is a 2 way street? How xan we build accountability and maintain a comfortable work environment?
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Dele
7/8/2023 03:28:12 pm
Hi Dino, thank you for this comment. You are absolutely right. And I believe your approach is correct. We need to trust those who work with us without micromanaging them. That said, your comment ended on a great note - accountability. That is key. One thing I know is that accountability is not automatic. We need to require it from our team members. One way to do it is to develop clear and achievable metrics. We need to show people the goal post. We need to show them what success looks like and then trust them to deliver. They must benchmark their activities with the metrics, and we must review with them regularly to be sure they are on track. Thank you for your comment.
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