The idea for this post started with a weekly message from my coaching colleague, Dan Wilson. He wrote about a community service project his corporate team carried out one Christmas long ago, and its long-term internal benefit. Dan often draws life lessons, along with practical benefits from common experiences of life. By the way, Dan and I have the same number of decades to choose from in looking back…
My thoughts turned to people and experiences I have been thankful for. I quickly realized that the words, actions, and qualities I most appreciated were often drivers of success I experienced in a team. Here are a few examples, and I may or may not be using “real” first names…
- In my early years in vocational Christian ministry, our state Baptist campus ministry director was a guy named Bob, who had a unique talent for empowerment. Each local campus minister had freedom to develop his/her own program and style, while sharing the key purpose and goals of the organization. This approach helped us to all learn from each other and to apply our unique talents in our impact and leadership with students.
- Shifting to my later career in the high-tech industry, I’m always grateful for my first Microsoft manager, Elaine, who guided me toward success with clear communication. I always knew what was expected, how my performance was being evaluated, and what I could do to improve. Elaine had my back, while also giving me the straight story. She was actually one of several great managers I had at Microsoft—most of them women about 20 years younger than I—who helped me build my strengths into winning experiences as an individual and a leader.
- Post-Microsoft, I had the opportunity to volunteer my time, talents, and leadership with a significant community service organization. It was amazing to serve on a board of diverse backgrounds and talents, coupled with a sincere desire to improve the potential success of underprivileged high school graduates through scholarships and mentoring. As I moved from the role of individual “coach” and committee member, I found myself chair of the “student success committee” which brought together an incredible team of coaches to work with our scholarship students. Later, as I prepared to move on to other endeavors, I was lucky enough to enlist Berk as as my successor. Not only did he take the committee to new heights of success, he is now leading the entire organization in a revitalized program for success. Berk’s style and temperament are pretty much 180 degrees different from mine, and what a blessing that has been to this wonderful organization.
So, you might ask, “What does this mean for me, my work, and my leadership?” Here are a few takeaways you might consider:
- Curiosity: Take the time to be curious about what motivates or discourages people around you. This is true for colleagues, clients, customers, or competitors. Reserve judgment while you seek to understand why they do what they do.
- Diversity: This is a popular buzzword, but actually a key feature of today’s culture. We may notice diversity around age, generation, ethnicity, religion, politics, personal style… you name it! We may be comfortable around people most like us, but we learn a lot from people who are different. By bringing a variety of experiences and beliefs to the table, we are better able to land our product, service, or cause with more people.
- Respect: After we have exercised curiosity and recognized diversity, respect is the best approach with every person, especially those with whom we work and serve. Every human being is deserving of our respect as a fellow traveler on this small planet.
- Recognition: The most effective leaders I have observed and served with are those who recognize the gifts, the efforts, and the results of team members. A few words of recognition go a long way to motivate continued commitment and future achievement.
- Focus on the goal: This practice will make all the previous items possible, even in difficult circumstances. You may have many differences on your team—different views and proposals for action. You may not always like each other. That said, a singular focus on a worthy outcome can pull all of your differences into a cohesive plan for success. And a dose of empathy, grace, and patience will smooth the road along the way.
