Leader…ship

There is a plethora (great word) of stuff out on the interweb about “Leadership”.

Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Leadership by Example, Situational Leadership, etc.

So the last thing I am going to do is tell you “how” to be a leader.

Instead, I want you to understand “how” your leadership will affect the people that work “for” you.

Climb in the “wayback” machine with me to my college years.

I was lucky enough to land an internship at a local bank in the M.I.S. (management information systems) department where my job was to take inventory of every piece of computer equipment in the company. It was great! The bank had 26 branches around the state… sooooo, I travelled that summer to 26 branches and took inventory of computer equipment (woo hoo!).

I did not learn much about computers, but I discovered a tremendous amount about “leadership”.

My typical day looked like this… I would arrive at the bank branch and would introduce myself to someone in the branch. That “someone” would then summon the branch manager, who would meet me and give me access to the teller line, offices, and other back office areas.

And here is the interesting part…

The vibe in each bank branch was different. Some relaxed, some fun, some formal, some very serious. I noticed this on the first meeting with a teller or customer service person. Then, when I met the branch manager, that vibe continued.

It became weirdly predictable. If the branch manager was fun, then most of the people in the branch were fun to be around. If the manager was quiet and serious, so was everyone working in the branch. In a way, the branch took on the personality of the branch manager!

Fast forward to today… as a leader, you set the tone, the vibe, the personality of the workplace that you lead. It’s a simple and underrated concept:

People look to the leader to understand what is important.

Once they feel they understand what the leader “values” as important, people change their behavior (most times) to align with the leader.

Does the leader value accuracy? Does the leader have a professional demeanor? Does the leader find fault, or are they supportive and encouraging. All of these are human personality traits that just happen without our working on them. These personality traits become apparent as a leader interacts with their team, and (as if by magic), the culture and social norms of the organization are established!

You might have heard the saying, “People don’t listen to what you say, instead they watch what you do!”.

Gary and Herb are great positive examples of why the culture of SouthWest Airlines is the envy of all other air carriers.

Now it’s your turn. Where are the challenges in your organization? Do these challenges mirror some of your own personal challenges? What is working really really well? And, how can you amplify and celebrate those accomplishments?

It’s a big job, but it is not about you… it’s about leading the people that are depending on you to lead well.

Lead well!