Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader?

It is Boss’ Day.  Have you thought about what kind of boss you are?  Not in that type of position you say? I disagree.  We are all the boss at times; at work, at home, in stores, or other venues.  What type of boss are you?

A former company president I worked for issued a few leadership principles to help guide the leaders in the company.  My favorite one was to be present.  In this I had to ask myself if I really listened to my staff, co-workers, my family, or people I came across in my day.  I kind of suck at this sometimes.  To be a true leader that is worthy of being followed I think you really do need to be present.  So I will keep working on this.  To be noticed, acknowledged, and addressed by someone is to know you are “present” to them.  Everyone wants to be seen.  Be present with people.

Another question to ask yourself and your boss-self is, “do I give direction?”  How clear are you in telling people what you want?  Every parent has been through a moment where you know you were not clear enough in what you wanted from your child.  Check the pink items that came out of the laundry due to a lack of clear direction.  If you are a leader in a corporation, how many times are you fixing something? Re-doing it?  Do you have confidence that the direction you have given is going to yield the results you want and have the backing of your boss? Giving clear direction sets the people around you up for success instead of failure.

Last question of the day, “what kind of culture do you create?”  Do people shy away from making eye-contact with you?  Are they afraid of you or the consequences of your behavior?  This one gets to the core of legacy to me.  I want a culture of kindness to surround me.  A simple thank you for a completed task goes a long way to create a culture that gets results. People want to follow a leader who is present to listen, then gives clear direction, and follows it with gratitude or support to meet the goal.  I hope I leave in my wake a wave of gratitude and kindness creating a culture of engaged, empowered people.