Tuesday, January 05, 2010
What’s Your Major Leadership Anxiety?
All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. (John Kenneth Galbraith)
Today this quote landed in my Inbox and it got me thinking. Are GREAT leaders really willing to confront the major anxieties of their team?
Perhaps its Mr. Galbraith’s use of the word “confront” that bothers me. There are several programs available dealing with confrontation (very good ones, by the way) that you can tap into. Yet, isn’t that why organizations are buying these programs—because their leaders are unskilled at confronting the behaviors shown by team members?
Some leaders are hesitant because, well, people get so...emotional. Sometimes you just don’t know how to respond in that kind of situation. But there is hope...go back to the quote.
It is in your willingness to listen to the anxieties of your team that you can become great. When you show that kind of empathy consistently, your team will trust you more and be better prepared to overlook your flaws when you don’t always get things right.
THOUGHT TO PONDER:
What issues are facing your team that are causing them anxiety?
If you don’t know, go ask them.
If you do know, are you guiding them through it?
Until next time...Lead Like You Mean It!
Marjorie
