Stop being the Boss!

Picture this- your manager walks by your desk every morning on route to his office and never says "good morning". Or your new President shouts at you so loudly that everyone down the corridor hears and that show down spreads through the grapevine like wild fire.   It remains the number one gossip topic for the week, pushing "who's been stealing lunch from the fridge" into second place.  Is this leadership?

Some managers and CEOs really believe that their position gives them the right to be disrespectful.

Leadership begins with relationships. The outstanding leaders I know and admire have built strong relationships with their team and other employees.

Take the relationship test:

Do you know the birthdays of your team members of your inner circle?

Do you know where they live?

Do you know their significant other, husband/wife? or at least their name?

What's the name of their children?

What's the name of their pet? (if they are a "pet" person)

Do they like cheesecake or flan or fruit?

Do they like wine?

So how did you do? If you gave the correct answers to all the above questions, then you have been nurturing your relationships well with your team. If you got them wrong, now is a good time to begin to work on those relationships. There is one caveat. The thing about relationships is that you can't pretend. Most people will see through a phoney, self-serving impostor. If you are not genuine, you are wasting your time.

True leadership is frequently seen as a role for the chosen few. The "chosen few" who are really interested in helping their team be their best. True leaders inspire others to be their best.  

We all say things which we regret sometimes, when we feel "that's not who we really are". According to Bill George, in his 2003 book, Authentic Leadership, authentic leaders monitor their words and behaviors carefully to be attuned to their audiences and to enroll their colleagues and teammates. They do so because they are sensitive to the impact their words and actions have on others, not because they are trying to  “sound right” . Being sensitive to others' needs, is a major part of the foundation  to building meaningful relationships at work and off the job too. And it's free. No amount of classroom training or teambuilding sessions could make that required change. It must come from within your being.

The next question is "how does the boss from hell transform to a boss that is heaven-sent?" Well a good place to start is to seek honest feedback from colleagues, friends, and subordinates about their leadership and make some adjustments. 

 Bill George conducted interviews with 172 authentic leaders and the results revealed the critical role of self-awareness in leadership development. The core of authentic leadership is understanding yourself, understanding your values and purpose. Understanding your leadership purpose means you can garner support from your team as you seek to align them with a common purpose. Your purpose is defined as your unique God-given gifts that you bring to the leadership table. This self-awareness allows you to show up as  your best self, each and every time.

How have you used your leadership purpose to inspire others? What have you done for others lately?

Charlene is the Managing Director of Conventus Consultinc, a human resource solution provider firm. She firmly believes that being authentic is recognizing that leadership purpose is a gift from God.  If only everyone could unwrap the packaging and reveal that gift. 

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