3 Key Steps That Will Make You a More Effective People Leader

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In 2018, John Watson, then CEO and Chairman of Chevron, announced his retirement after 37 years with the company. Reflecting back on his career journey, he openly admitted to what he would do differently if he started his career over:

During my early years in the company, I was fairly analytical in how I approached most situations. And although that served a purpose, I later realized that you can be much more effective if you recognize the importance of people in business. The sooner you learn about reading people, listening to others and building relationships, the sooner you will be more effective. So I would have spent a little more time on the people side, a little more time on the relationship side, early in my career.

While his quote wasn't earth-shattering, it was an important leadership lesson. When you think about conventional management thinking and practices in a typical, transactional business environment, not enough senior leaders spend the time to do what Watson had to learn?over his many years at Chevron: Becoming effective with the people and relationship side of the business.

He mentioned three specific things that, upon closer look at the literature,?make up the?best servant-leaders:

• Learning about reading people
• Listening to others
• Building relationships

Let's break these down further.

1. Reading people

First of all, you simply can't read people without developing your self-awareness, which takes a fair degree of?emotional intelligence. Reading people requires curiosity to understand who they are and what makes them tick. Reading people also requires being good at asking the right questions to draw others out so that you can evaluate them properly and know how best to support their development.

I recommend that you explore conversations that raise your self-awareness by asking your employees questions centered on these themes:

• What makes them feel like they're doing a good job?
• How can you get the best out of their talents and strengths?
• What makes them tick? What gets them up in the morning?

Increasing your self-awareness helps you to know who has the traits you want in your future leaders to take your company forward. Watson wrote in his retirement post:

It's important to understand which employees make others around them better. I watch for those things in leaders. And I think individuals that are conscious of those characteristics early in their career have a better chance of being successful.

2. Listening to others

In all practicality, Watson agrees that reading people won't happen without good listening skills. But it isn't merely listening; it's actively listening with intent and a bias for action.

Great?listeners can listen intuitively to the other person's story, searching conversations for depth, meaning, and understanding with the other person's needs in mind. The listening has one overarching theme:?how can I help the other person? This will give you the edge as a leader to build trust when others see that you have their interests in mind.

Peter Drucker once said, "The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said."

Practically speaking, try this: In your meetings or one-on-ones, listen and reflect back on what you heard to clarify. For example, say, "What I hear you saying is ..." Then ask questions to probe the other person's feelings or opinions on the topic of conversation. This can be as simple as, "Tell me how you feel about this."

3. Building relationships?

It goes without saying that leaders must invest time with their most valued employees to learn who they really are. In turn, this produces great collaboration.

But you need to get personal and learn who plays on your team. Let me ask you a question: How well do you know the people that work closest to you??Think about it.

Watson said, "Advancing as a manager requires getting good at choosing the right people for jobs." To do that, you must get to know your people's strengths and what they bring to the table and develop them into new roles and career paths. And to do that, you have to?really get to know your people?through personal relationships. That's rarefied air for so many people in management roles.

Your turn: What else would you add to this list? Leave a comment, and let's learn from each other.

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Shout Out to Middle Managers and Emerging Leaders!

Check out the ‘From Boss to Leader’ course -- a top-rated hybrid immersion into Servant Leadership. My team designed it specifically to help emerging leaders and middle managers acquire the necessary skills to perform at their best. Watch this?2-minute video?to see if it may be right for you or your management team. Then?book your 15-minute call,?and I will personally speak with you to ensure it's a good fit. No obligation. No sales pitches. Serious inquiries only.

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About Marcel Schwantes

Marcel Schwantes?is a global speaker whose keynotes and workshops spotlight the human side of work and how cultures of care, connection, and belonging outperform the competition. He's an executive coach, syndicated columnist, and the creator of the highly-acclaimed "From Boss to Leader" course. Marcel has been recognized as one of the Top 101 Global Employee Engagement & Experience Influencers by Inspiring Workplaces. His work is regularly featured in?Inc., Time, Business Insider, Fast Company, and CNBC.