 |
| Source: https://www.pinclipart.com |
Adam Bryant wrote a brief Strategy+Business article two weeks ago about examining what it means to be a servant leader today. He makes a distinction between the self-centered vs. selfless leader. Bryant writes:
After all my interviews with leaders, and spending the last 30-plus years of my career working for some truly exceptional and truly horrible bosses, the key differentiator of leaders for me is whether they are selfless or self-centered. Do they see the people who work for them simply as assets to help them achieve their own goals, or do they consider it their responsibility to help their team grow and develop?...
Maybe the self-centered leader will get faster results in the short run by ordering people around — a command-and-control boss of yore — but long-term leadership tests these days are about influence and attracting and building talent. These only grow when employees feel that their leader is more interested in their development and the broader success of the organization than in advancing his or her own career.
These selfless leaders recognize that their responsibility is to lift the performance of their team, which in turn will likely lead to more promotions if they are successful. Getting the best out of people is simply a matter of where leaders put their focus. Are they more concerned with what they are doing for their team, or with what their team is doing for them?
Build a great team, develop your people, prepare them to flourish in their current role and beyond. Invest in expanding their capabilities. You can do all that AND demand a great deal from them. You can set high expectations and even raise the bar during challenging times. Being selfless doesn't mean refraining from offering negative feedback, or setting easily attainable goals. It simply means recognizing that you can't achieve greatness for your organization and personal success as well on your own. You will need to work with and through others.
No comments:
Post a Comment