Who does it most affect? Media are replete with stories of the inevitable repercussions of leaders who have failed to hold themselves accountable.
Roxi Hewertson, CEO of Highland Consulting Group, an executive recruiting firm, observed during a 2014 interview with Business News Daily, “We all know what good and bad leadership looks like and feels like. Once in the role, however, people often forget what they know and get a bit full of themselves, or are so unsure of themselves [they become] ineffective.
“Leading is all about relationships— growing trust, building teams and utilizing excellent interpersonal skills. Leaders pay a high price for ignoring the important process of building healthy relationships,” emphasizes Hewertson.
I’ve no doubt referenced Max DePree’s “thoughtful, personal, human, persuasive” book, The Art of Leadership, as noted business management author Tom Peters describes it.
Since it was first published in 1989, I’ve read and re-read DePree’s impactful book numerous times; highlighting, making notations in the margins and dog-earing pages to the point they take on an affinity to origami.
You’ll quickly discover this is not a book about techniques or tricks or processes. It’s about how a thoughtful and caring leader approaches his work.
In DePree’s preface he writes: “One of the particular skills that leaders are required to exemplify in practice is the indispensable knack for building and nurturing relationships.”
Another bestselling author, John Michael Morgan, who’s served as a private consultant and mentor to chart-topping authors, Fortune 500 companies, small business owners, entrepreneurs, celebrities, churches, and some of the world’s largest brands and high achievers, identified in an April 28, 2015 article titled, “10 Major Causes Of Failure In Leadership” … “For the last decade I’ve worked with and associated with high achieving leaders. I’ve noticed that while there are many things that can lead them to failure, some are more common than others.”
Morgan lists as the number one cause for failure in leadership, “Leading without love.” He goes on to share a quote from his friend Rick Warren who claims, “Leadership without love is manipulation.”
“I like that thought a lot,” Morgan affirms. “You don’t have to love everyone you lead, but you have to have a loving heart. Leadership through fear and force never lasts in the long run.”
Kiely Kuligowski, writing in a February 15, 2019 article for Business News Daily, encourages, “The creation of a collaborative environment where everyone feels heard, respected and valued is a key step for new managers. Having a team that works together establishes a more welcoming, supportive culture.”
I have personally observed leaders who initiate warm, collaborative relationships and wisely nurture a climate of reciprocal trust. They authentically earn people’s trust.
Summer Salomonsen, former chief learning officer at Grovo, a New York City-based technology company whose focus is to improve and advance employee and organizational performance, suggests, “In order to inspire original thinking, managers should create an inclusive culture where everyone can voice their concerns, opinions and ideas. Encourage authenticity and vulnerability by leading by example.”
Salomonsen noted among the management behaviors to avoid:
“Failing to ask for or address questions, feedback or concerns
Being closed-minded to criticism or new ideas
Avoiding difficult yet necessary conversations”
Salomonsen concludes, “A true leader doesn’t need a title to earn the respect of his team. Any leader who is overly focused on their title is saying they have little else to stand on and it’s a sure sign they are headed for failure.” “Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.”–
~Ben Stein
Former Cook County Commissioner Garry Gamble is writing this ongoing column about the various ways government works, as well as other topics. At times the column is editorial in nature.
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