If you’re good at your job, I mean really good at it, much of what you do will be unseen and unappreciated by others. That’s because it isn’t always easy to recognize the ways in which you are influencing the work and the workplace – things that you do (without fanfare) that positively impact people, and the work product, and enable them to be great.
Great leadership is often subtle. And behind the scenes.
Your role requires you to subordinate your needs for affirmation for the needs of the people you lead to be encouraged, and lifted-up. That means pulling out your “Credit Card” on a regular basis. In other words …
Look for opportunities to highlight the good things that are happening at work, and be the first person to give credit to the people involved. Find ways to single out their efforts, and champion them. Brag ’em up. Show them you saw what they did, and that you’re proud of them. Make them the stars. Don’t talk about you … talk about them. Get behind them. Give them the limelight.
That’s how to create a winning environment.
The reward, for most leaders, won’t be any sort of public recognition for themselves. It can only be satisfaction, “self-satisfaction.” Knowing you did your job, and led your team well. That should be enough.
One of my students taught me long ago, as a leader, “It’s not about you, but it’s up to you!” Have a great new year.
– Jerry Strom
Twitter: @JerryRStrom. For more information about our leadership and team development programs, please visit http://www.JerryStrom.com . Join the mailing list to receive new articles as they are published. This article is based on research conducted for the *’The Relationships Report: The Linkage between Leadership and Relationships,’ by Jerry Strom & Company, Inc. Find ‘How Leaders Build Relationships at Work’ at http://www.jerrystrom.com/research/js_relationships.html short insights on Twitter at #RelationshipsRPT