Two Simple Things People Want (From Leaders)

“The simple act of caring is heroic.” —Edward Albert

When I was 25 years old, I got my first shot at management. Two emotions immediately came over me: 1) Elation. I couldn't believe I earned the opportunity to lead people. 2) Panic. I was sure I wasn’t “fully baked,” and I would eventually let my boss and team down. Admittedly, I wasn't getting a lot of mentoring, and all the seasoned leaders around me were way too busy to stop and help. Except for Harold. Thank God for Harold!

He was nearing retirement and had a storied career. Lucky for me, he also had a son I resembled who was away at medical school. I think Harold missed him so he let me hang around his office way more than I deserved.

One day, I was in his office and admiring a painting hanging on his wall. He told me he had commissioned an artist to paint a photograph he had of the first place he ever worked. Even the cars in the painting outside the building he worked were true to the era. I said something so incredibly amateur and young. The words just came out of my mouth. “Harold, one day I want to make it big in my career and have a painting rendered of THIS building with my Mitsubishi Eclipse parked out front!” He laughed and said, “I can't wait to see that painting!”

As a young manager, Harold always made time for me. He nurtured my confidence and treated me with respect. I always felt like I was worth my salary because someone as important as Harold told me I had a “big future.” More than anything, he taught me something really important … something I was too inexperienced to absorb at the time: the job of a leader is pretty straightforward. All people really want (and need) from their leaders is Love and Clarity. I wish the elder me could tell the younger me that as I experienced elation and panic in my first management role.

Love. Strong word, isn’t it? Do you normally associate it with your professional life? Your team? Your boss? Maybe not, but it’s simple. People just want to know you care. They want you to ask how they're doing and whether they need your help and support. They want you to ask about their dreams and aspirations. People want you to be there when things aren't going as planned. (They need that more than your praise when things are going well though they need that, too.)

Here's the best thing about Love: it’s a free gift. It doesn't cost you anything to show people you care. What are some of those FREE traits you can exhibit? Be present and put the device down; be curious and ask questions about their professional and personal life; be available when they're really down in the dumps.

Clarity. This shouldn't be mixed up with transparency. I don't think people want leaders to vomit a bunch of information on them. Rather, they want to be connected to the future. What are we trying to accomplish and more importantly, WHY? People also want clarity about how their unique capabilities contribute to the greater good. And they want to know what they need to do to improve their performance. For them, it's all about making a difference.

Harold’s impact on my career was huge. Yet, it's obvious that he did that in a simple way by providing Love and Clarity. He did it during a time when things were going well and the business was enjoying steady growth. I often think about the highly volatile environments I've worked in where change was a part of everyday life. Love and Clarity would've especially gone a long way in those situations. Again, simple and cheap!

What will you do today to give your team a glimpse of the future and to show you care? How will you connect them to the greater good? Bottom line: when your team is 100% aligned because of the Love and Clarity you've shown, anything is possible. Anything.

Chris Laping is the author of the newly released book, People Before Things. He is also the Co-Founder & CEO of People Before Things, LLC, a boutique consultancy that helps leaders enable and activate people for technology change. To join the conversation, follow @CIOChris and @pplb4things on Twitter.