Have you ever wondered why it’s so easy to work with some people and more challenging to work with others?
And why some people just ‘get it’ and others really seem like they’re operating in a different language altogether?
As a leader unless you’re managing a team of stormtroopers or robots you’ll be working with people who are different to you, who value different things, and communicate differently, people who constantly surprise you and who don’t conform to your norms of behaviour.
We might be of the same species but we’re all quite unique. It’s one of the most wonderful things about being human.
There are 7.9 billion of us in the world and none of us are the same.
As a leader learning what matters to those around you, understanding how to intentionally adapt your style and making others feel valued for their uniqueness will make a sizeable difference to your effectiveness.
In my very first leadership role I remembering being so focussed on doing a good job I never stepped back to think about who I was leading and what they needed from me.
I’ve learned now that this isn’t unusual.
Leaders are so frequently thrust into new positions with new responsibilities that it’s hard to find time to pause and think about what’s beneath the surface.
Unfortunately the one bit of advice that many of us grow up with and defer to ‘treat others how you’d like to be treated’ is arguably the worst advice when it comes to leading others.
Because your team are not you. And you are not your team.
So how can you be the best leader for everyone and treat people how they would like to be treated?
Here are four things to help you get started.
Think: Not so long ago, the expectation used to be that team members had to adapt to their boss. The shoe is now firmly on the other foot.
What do each of your team members need from you, different from each other?
What do can you do more of to intentionally adapt your style to give them what they need?
Data: Recent research by McKinsey showed that ‘not feeling valued by their manager’ was the 2nd highest reason people said they were leaving their employers (*not feeling valued by the organisation was the 1st if you’re curious).
In the same survey employers perceived it to be only the 18th highest reason for their employees leaving. That’s quite a difference.
What insight do you have about how valued your team really feels?
What do you do to make each individual in your team feel valued?
What evidence tells you it’s working? And how often do you review it?
Profile: The more you understand the people in your team, the more effective you can be as a leader. Personality profiling is a powerful tool that can accelerate relationship building and give you in depth insight into what makes those around you tick.
The key isn’t just to complete the profile, it’s to actually use it to shape how you work. So dig out your profile reports and put them to use.
I facilitate Everything DiSC® with corporate leadership teams because it’s insightful and practical but it really is what you do with the insight that counts. If you haven’t recently used profiling with your team and want to develop stronger more effective relationships, give me a shout at rebecca@rebeccajjackson.com.
Role Model: Beneath your professional and physical surface, every leader is different with unique wants, needs, motivation and ambition.
How often do you tell those around you about what makes you the leader you are today and about what you value?
And how easy do you make it for them to make you feel valued?
You can find more thought provoking leadership thinking here and connect with me on Linkedin and Twitter.
And if you’d like some help getting perspective, send a quick note to me at rebecca@rebeccajjackson.com and I’ll help you figure it out.
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