True Leadership
A friend of mine who is a long time territory rep recently had a first meeting with his newly assigned sales manager. The new manager opened up the conversation with these words “My goal this year is to keep you from quitting your job.” After years of corporate-speak from leadership, this statement about knocked him off his seat. As a top producer who has been largely irritated with the way the company has been managed for many years, this statement felt like fresh air.
I was amazed by the potency of that one line. My friend has become cynical over the years, his tolerance for BS is low. There was something about the candor and concern of that statement that broke through. Believe me, those protective walls had become mighty thick and mighty tall. This new guy, in an unabashed and sincere way successfully scaled them. Once he was in, they were able to put their heads together and collaboratively create ways to generate more business.
That is the power of true leadership.
True leaders honor their followers.
They don’t have a need to win ego battles, outsmart, outshine or outmaneuver. Their primary goal is to serve the aims of the company. And, what best serves the company, are people that are engaged and want to work for the company. Not because they are afraid not to, but because it matters to them that they do. They’re in.
Lack of engagement is not a productivity issue.
It’s not a lazy, indifferent worker issue. It’s not a generation/age issue. It’s not an HR issue. It’s a leadership issue. The buck stops there. If people are not engaged, if the right people aren’t in place, if people are leaving in droves…the responsibility lies squarely with leadership. Projecting the problem elsewhere may ease minds, but it won’t change a damn thing. The title could not be more clear…LEADER.
Leadership is first and foremost a way of being. Action follows.
Be a better leader.