We’ve all heard the saying that people don’t leave company’s they leave bad managers! And we probably agree that this is true but what if WE are the bad managers? Take a moment and think about that…..
Ok so your gut probably says that you aren’t the bad manager, you can’t possibly be that! I mean you are here reading this blog about being a good leader so therefore you must be good right? What if I said no? I mean I don’t know you so I can’t really say you aren’t but what if I could?
What if I told you we are ALL bad managers! We think we are good, we think we are doing the right thing and bam someone leaves and we realize we aren’t! Well here’s the deal – are you ready? Not everyone will want you to be their leader! You see we all have styles that don’t mesh with others, this doesn’t make us good!
I recently started a new position working for my old leader. I loved working her, she’s tough, sound, has great ideas and is amazing at getting stuff done. However a good friend of mine seriously disliked her. Couldn’t stand working for her because they didn’t mesh!
How could my (what I will call one of my favorite leaders of all time) done differently? Probably nothing! You see by trying to get this particular worker on board she could of alienated the rest of the team! Sometimes the best thing you can do is to show that person that there maybe a better option for them. Either in a different organization or even company.
As leaders we aren’t going to be the popular ones, but we need to make sure our team feels heard and feels connected. When we have someone on our team who is undermining our authority or making it harder for the team to work it might be best if they were encouraged to go elsewhere.
As a leader you are responsible for the overall health of your team and not everyone is going to fit! The leader’s job is to help them see where they fit on the team and how they can help get there but if they aren’t willing then you might have to help them look elsewhere.
There is a book out there called the Energy Bus and it talks about how we as individuals have a job to understand what our role is on the bus! I would highly recommend this book for everyone on the team! Because it talks about how YOU (as the person) drive the team towards it’s goals. It’s not about what your leader is doing or what anyone else is doing but about what you are doing!
Today think about the person on your team who feels as if they just don’t fit, and then see if you can help them fit, but don’t do it so that the entire team fails but help them see how they make a difference on the team!
Leadership Simplified 