Build Relationships to Achieve Results
If you aren’t achieving results, your leadership won’t matter to your business. But it isn’t just about the “business” it is about people. I’ve been at organizations where relationships didn’t matter, and those organizations are not successful in the long run.
Your job is to build the team and then emotionally invest in its members. Like any coach, you own the job of finding the talent and uniting the players. And once they are on your team — invest. It’s pretty scary to think that the perfect employee is out there and you just haven’t hired them yet. Embrace the 90 percent capability you see in their talent and use sincere truthfulness and coaching to get closer to the 100 percent.
Encourage vulnerability and avoid a culture of blame. Team players need to feel comfortable and confident in their competencies, but they also need to be self-aware. Create an environment where you assume good of each other, candidly declare the breakdowns and then arrive at a solution together. This creates a culture where employees feel trust, acceptance and support.
The world is a place of abundance and someone doesn’t have to lose for you to win. It’s OK to benchmark against others, but only compete against yourself. Think this way and it will change how you lead and fundamentally how your teams interact with each other.
Focus on achievement — not status.
Stamp out bureaucracy. This is a tough one as many people live by titles and status. Always put the right talent on the proper challenges without regard to rank. When we are not trapped in “status” discussion, we are positioned to make the right decision for the business.
Create shared values. Establish metrics, measure your business, create alignment and then celebrate successes. You must have shared values to create shared success.
Speak in partnership language. Simply put — it is WE, not “me” or “I.”
And most importantly, learn from your experiences but keep moving forward.