I once asked a senior executive who was involved on numerous boards and charities, how he found the time to do it all. His answer was simple, “I get back twice as much as I put in,” he said. To him, giving was its own reward.
As leaders, we need to be role models for our teams, proud of our accomplishments.
Gary was someone who would regularly make a point of saying thank you. He showed his appreciation, not just for the task you completed, but also for how you went about it.
Robert was busy going nowhere. He was drowning in a sea of emails, back to back meetings, performance reports and people issues.
Charles dispensed with the PowerPoint talking points he had prepared for the staff information session and asked the audience what they wanted to talk about. He wrote their questions on a whiteboard and worked down their list in a two-way conversation rather than the formal presentation that they had anticipated. It made a real impact. The team were impressed that Charles had spent the time to listen and respond to them, instead of delivering the latest set of key messages about the organisation’s strategy and vision.