Last month we toured the first of three “ships” in our leadership fleet – Mentorship. How did you do as you hoisted the sail with that skill? Who did you mentor? How did they grow? How rewarding was it to watch their sail fill?
This month’s vessel – Relationship.
RELATIONSHIP
Before your crew can worship you as a leader, they need to appreciate that your approach is not one of dictatorship, but rather one of caring relationship. This doesn’t require that you have to foster friendship. A partnership built on respect will get you a long way.
Is there a RELATIONSHIP with someone on your team that needs nurturing?
Here are a few ways to foster the kinship:
- Get to know them. What are their strengths? Their interests? Their goals? To reflect you care about someone means taking time to get to know more about them. Foster your interest and curiosity without judgment.
- Ask questions. Leading with more questions than statements demonstrates greater interest in their thoughts and ideas than projecting your own. This promotes an environment where people not only feel heard but also valued and included. It also promotes their critical thinking (a form of mentorship—sound familiar??)
- Lean on their expertise. Invite them to bring their strengths to the forefront to meet specific needs. Then trust them to wisely move the needle in the direction it needs to go.
- Reflect your appreciation. There’s a difference between recognition and appreciation. Recognition is noticing the efforts of someone (“I see that you did that.”). Appreciation takes acknowledgement a step further. It adds the reflection of value and impact of such effort. There’s meaning and sincere intention attached (“I noticed you went out of your way to do that. It made a real difference in this way...”).
- Show you’re human. Admit and apologize when your efforts miss the mark. Be humble—you don’t have to know it all. This makes it safe for your team to make occasional mistakes. As long as you’re all learning, you’re still making forward progress.
- Spend quality time. It’s the quality, not the quantity that will echo. Be genuinely present, engaged in the moment. And also, be social. Join in fun and fellowship when your team loosens their guard and laughs together. It’s okay to be in companionship with your team as long as boundaries are still respected.
Theodore Roosevelt stated, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Relationship is a critical success factor in the achievement of effective leadership. How strong is your relationship with those on your team? What one thing can you do this next month to bring new breath to its sails?
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“The essence of leadership is relationship; influencing people to achieve things together that can’t be achieved alone.” – Leonard Sweet
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Explore these workshops and programs offered by our RWHC Education Team to further develop your Relationship skills:
- Servant Leadership: Committing to Being of Service as a Leader
- Understanding & Developing Emotional Intelligence
- Communication: Connecting with Intention & Respect
To learn more, visit: https://www.rwhc.com/Services/Educational-Services/Leadership-Series or email me at: csearles@rwhc.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Corrie Searles, MPT, Leadership Development Educator
In Corrie’s role as Leadership Development Educator at the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC), her aim is to empower leaders--formal and informal--to create positive influence that enables others to serve well.
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