Would You Rather Have a Manager or a Leader?
Trust is one of the most important elements needed to run an effective business. Then, why is it so many employees do not feel they can trust their managers? Statistics show, 1 in 2 employees has left a job to get away from their manager at some point in their career. (Gallup, 2015) However, there is a difference between managers and leaders. Managers know how to do the job their employees are doing. Leaders know how to put the strengths of those under them to everyone’s advantage. Another way to put this, managers manage projects, while leaders manage people.
Even though managers are supposed to take care of people, most don’t realize what they are supposed to do or how to do it. Most managers are so concerned with how they will be perceived that they often forget to take care of those under them.
Being a leader comes at great personal cost. Leaders are quick to give others the credit or accept all the blame. They create a safe environment where people can feel trusted, included, and recognized. By not creating this type of environment, employees are more likely to spend time and energy worrying about their safety and security in their positions. This keeps them from putting forth their best effort or distracts them from what they should be doing. Our employees should not fear expressing when they do not understand what is required or when they make a mistake. We would rather they learn the answer or know where to find the answer than floundering. They should feel secure in the knowledge that we will not fire them just for making a mistake. This creates a safe and secure environment where they can perform at optimal levels.
Two things successful leaders have: empathy and perspective. Empathy means that, instead of blaming the person for their bad performance, we instead find out why they are having these issues and then work with them to fix it. Empathy is being concerned about the human being and not focused solely on their job performance. Perspective is not about winning or losing. It is about how we view both ourselves and others. For us, this means we are not trying to beat our competition. We are, instead, trying to beat ourselves. Our perspective is that we want and should provide the best services we possibly can. If we occasionally fail, we work to do better.
Overall, our priority is to our employees. We cannot run as a business without them. As long as we take care of them, they will take care of us. It is a win-win situation for all involved and the foundation of our business. If you feel undervalued, consider coming to work for us.
For more information, check out the videos by Simon Sinek. He is an author, motivational speaker, and organizational consultant.
Most leaders don’t even know the game they are in – Simon Sinek at Live2Lead 2016
