Pursuing SELFLESSNESS
About 70% of the American workforce is disengaged, to some degree, at work. Furthermore, the #1 reason for this problem is that American employees believe, from experience, that their bosses simply are not aware of them at all.
So whether you are a current supervisor who wants to get better or a future leader who feels stuck in the middle of the pack – here is the what, why and how of becoming the leader you wish to be. You can actually start practicing these steps today – exactly where you are!
WHAT? Commit to learning about world-class leadership. This goes far beyond just the technical and functional skills necessary to actually do a job. It involves digging into the human skills that very few positional leaders understand – but the best ones do. The focus for this narrative is about something simple but almost lost in leadership today. We must be aware and fully present in the moment with whoever is in front of us each day. This can be a customer, a colleague, or a friend. It’s a foundational principle for influential leadership. And…no one can accomplish this if they are SELFISH!
WHY? Every person really matters – a lot! Especially our current team members. It’s always more effective to breathe into our current team than to continue replacing them. In fact – the very best teams are those who have selfless, inspiring leaders within the team – in addition to a boss who models this principle as well. The most important, foundational attribute for any leader is genuine SELFLESSNESS. Modeling SELFLESSNESS says that we are comfortable in our own skin and that WE BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS VALUE. Leaders who have learned their own value do not have to take themselves too seriously as they lead their teams. Selflessness requires us to ensure that our people are not “anonymous;” we must endeavor to make them known. To accomplish this, we must develop the habit of thinking about them, finding their motivation, choosing and using the right words for them, giving them credit for things and developing the right plans for them.
This is an important aspect of becoming an influential leader. Leadership always starts with “what we do.” This is because “what we do” always speaks louder than anything we can ever say. Teaching others how to serve begins with demonstrating a humble, SELFLESS heart. Demonstrating SELFLESSNESS builds the foundation from which we earn the right to motivate and coach. To become the “best boss” our people have ever had requires a different approach and the desire to give attention to the little things like developing ourselves so we can focus attention on them.
We are all born selfish and sometimes individual team-members come to us not having been taught otherwise. SELFLESSNESS is not natural but pursuing it will produce many benefits. This starts by each emerging leader committing to MODEL SELFLESSNESS. The “spirit of servanthood” must be built on the foundation of selflessness. We cannot fake servanthood for the long-term unless it stands on the solid foundation of SELFLESSNESS.
HOW? As a leader, there is no better thing we can do in the moment, and to express confidence in who we are, than to choose to be SELFLESS rather than SELFISH with anyone around us. We must pursue, develop and MODEL SELFLESSNESS if we expect others to live and work on purpose So how do we do so?
- FOCUS: Be completely AWARE and FULLY PRESENT with each individual in front us in the moment. This means to not allow distractions (cell phone, smart watch, etc.) to inhibit us from the attention required in the moment.
- KNOW: Get to know each person in your immediate group and work on their “IMPORTANTS.” This means to KNOW the names of their spouse and/or significant other, their kids, their hobbies, their background, and some of their dreams. As mentioned above, the #1 reason for “employee disengagement” is ANONYMITY. Genuinely seek to know your team members; one on one. Schedule time for them each quarter and remember; “I care” is spelled T-I-M-E.
- POINT: Point them to good resources to work on things that need private/personal attention.
- PREPARE: Proactively prepare yourself to breathe into your team and individuals each week multiple times. Proactively consider the messages you intend to communicate each week. This must be a priority. We must get comfortable being uncomfortable with this!
- FEED: Feed yourself good food to nourish your thinking; you cannot feed others from an empty cup.
- REMEMBER: Leading with CHARACTER begins by “doing the right thing in the moment” with every single person on your team.
- FEEDBACK/FOLLOW-UP: An indication that you are doing a good job will be the occasional feedback you get from those in your group that you previously could not seem to “touch.” People will ultimately respond very positively to REAL. Keep your promises and follow up on conversations.
As we become more comfortable in our own skin as evolving leaders, progressively overcoming our own insecurities, we will be able to release our fears and stop comparing ourselves to others. We will be able to be authentic and genuinely selfless as a leader. Most people will want to follow someone like that!
Please schedule a call today for more on DREAM4 and their impact on organizational well-being and leadership development.
