The odds of Leicester City winning the English Premier League was placed at 5,000-to-1. There were better odds on finding Elvis alive. The fairytale of them becoming champions is down to the fact that the owners, King Power, have run Leicester with the same care and attention that their coach, Claudio Ranieri, has applied to the team.
The million-dollar question: "What's the biggest difference in performance when leading people?" here's my two-cents worth: there needs to be much love in the workplace.
There are a lot of bad leaders, but most of them are not bad people. Here's the sad part: most leaders are completely oblivious to the impact their approach is having on their team members and their team members' level of performance.
Hard experience has taught me that leaders don't just tell their people what to do. They invest the time to understand their people and to align their team members' personal goals to the organization's goals.
Who do you trust more, firemen or lawyers? Nurses or salespeople? One of the biggest reasons for trust is the perception that people are concerned beyond themselves, for the good of others. Firemen and nurses care for others by the nature of their jobs. But we wonder if the salesperson really has our best interest in mind.
At its core, leadership isn't a head issue; it's a heart issue. Most leaders don't realize, the more you care, the more their people will contribute.
The best way to show that we care is to really listen to people. As the only child for nine years before my brother was born, I learned to eat fast and talk fast. Listening has not always come easily to me. Being a good listener is hard work but it is such an important factor in genuine care. Listening has to be combined with empathy...getting the other person's point of view and see things from that angle as well as my own. People can "look" concerned when they are not. But over time, it will show. An appreciation email written like a standard template doesn't cut it.
The key to genuine care is sincerity.
The million-dollar question: "What's the biggest difference in performance when leading people?" here's my two-cents worth: there needs to be much love in the workplace.
There are a lot of bad leaders, but most of them are not bad people. Here's the sad part: most leaders are completely oblivious to the impact their approach is having on their team members and their team members' level of performance.
Hard experience has taught me that leaders don't just tell their people what to do. They invest the time to understand their people and to align their team members' personal goals to the organization's goals.
Who do you trust more, firemen or lawyers? Nurses or salespeople? One of the biggest reasons for trust is the perception that people are concerned beyond themselves, for the good of others. Firemen and nurses care for others by the nature of their jobs. But we wonder if the salesperson really has our best interest in mind.
At its core, leadership isn't a head issue; it's a heart issue. Most leaders don't realize, the more you care, the more their people will contribute.
The best way to show that we care is to really listen to people. As the only child for nine years before my brother was born, I learned to eat fast and talk fast. Listening has not always come easily to me. Being a good listener is hard work but it is such an important factor in genuine care. Listening has to be combined with empathy...getting the other person's point of view and see things from that angle as well as my own. People can "look" concerned when they are not. But over time, it will show. An appreciation email written like a standard template doesn't cut it.
The key to genuine care is sincerity.
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