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humility

Humble Leadership
Leadership

Employees Don’t Quit Their Job; They Quit Their Boss!

by IPowerIdeas

Do you develop your employees or are you more focused on developing yourself? Do you consider yourself a humble and empathetic leader? Are you energetic or have integrity? Some great questions right?

 

The post below will provide some nuggets or seeds (I Power Seeds) to encourage you to stop and reflect and hopefully provide some knowledge to help you become a better leader.

 

A key element of an effective and successful manager is developing your employees so they grow, thrive, and stay engaged.

 

I really enjoyed this article and why I am posting it. The insights in the article can enhance the what managers and leaders do for their employees. The first part is about developing employees and the second part is directed towards traits and habits exhibited by effective and caring leaders.

 

I am a firm believer in developing employees and the ROI is very clear and apparent and the time and effort put into their overall development as they are happier and their quality and productivity is quite evident. For example, in my current role I spend an average of $1,000 per year per employee on development such as seminars, workshops, conferences, and training and professional development.

 

The other component are the traits and habits the author highlights below, and when you pause and reflect on them and compare them to what you experiences as an employee or as a manager, it will be clear they are accurate and true.

 

I have utilized these traits and habits in staff development meetings where I provide insight and fun exercises to help employees recognize them as well as help increase their skills and knowledge as they grow and develop their management and/or leadership skills. It takes a lot of effort and time from you to develop the topics and then present them to your team. I will be posting some PowerPoint slides as seeds (I Power Seeds) to give you some ideas.

 

Here are a couple other related posts that will provide additional insight into employees development and engagement.

 

The Ideal Team Player (Humble, Hungry, Smart)

Leadership Development – Humility as Leadership

 

“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.”

Simon Sinek

 

Time to Say Goodbye

Employees Don’t Quit Their Job; They Quit Their Boss!
Brigette Hyacinth

 

Employees might join companies, but they leave managers. Too many managers view their position as one of entitlement rather than one of responsibility. In days past, managers would focus on developing their employees. Today they are more focused on self-promotion and securing their position. A managers’ job is to facilitate a good working environment for his/her employees. The focus should be to help everyone around you succeed. Managers define culture, and culture under-girds the lasting health, success and sustainability of an organization.

 

The biggest danger of leadership: Arrogance

According to research from the University of Washington Foster School of Business, humble people are more likely to be make the most effective leaders. It turns out, humility offers a competitive advantage.

 

So why has arrogant or narcissistic leaders become the norm:

It has been historically perceived that humility is a sign of weakness and an antithesis to leadership. There is still an expectation that successful leaders are more arrogant than humble. Narcissism is mistaken for self-confidence and toxic leaders seem to be in control of everything. They are able to provide short-term results but the truth is they leave a trail of destruction in their path. Organizations pay heavily for such managers with low engagement, high turnover and reduced productivity. Arrogant leaders have a shelf-life within their organizations. They may “rule the day” but eventually people tire of them and their tactics, which lessens overall commitment from the team. Intimidation and threats of punishment can only work for so long.

 

“The x- factor of great leadership is not personality, it’s humility” – Jim Collins

 

The Power of Humility in the Workplace

Leading with humility means focusing on others and practicing servant leadership. Humble leaders:

 

1.  They put people first.
Their focus is on serving others. They do not get consumed by seeking out more power. Instead, they seek more ways to help others.

 

2.  They admit their mistakes.
All leaders make mistakes. Humble leaders own up to them. They don’t play the blame game when things go wrong. Instead they hold themselves accountable. Vulnerability builds trust.

 

3.  They share information and delegate.
Humble leaders are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They realize that they cannot do everything. They delegate because the work is more important than their ego.

 

4.  They listen.
They are approachable to employees and this allows them to create an environment of open communication and effective feedback.

 

5.  They do not hesitate to give credit where credit is due.
They appreciate the contributions of others. They are quick to recognize and reward the efforts of team members.

 

6.  They are empathetic to those in their charge.
They genuinely care about employees and employees can feel this sincerity. Empathy allows them to build healthy relationships and bond with team members.

 

7.  They are authentic.
They are the same person in every situation. This makes them trustworthy. Authenticity goes hand in hand with integrity. They are individuals of integrity.

 

“No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people tells all. Integrity is everything.”

 

Humility doesn’t mean that leaders can’t make tough decisions. A humble leader should not be mistaken for a weak one. It takes strength, courage, and wisdom to practice humility. I have learned that the best leaders are selfless and more concerned with the well-being of their team than with personal titles or status symbols. Easily offended leaders with inflated egos don’t build strong teams. You cannot be an effective leader if you feel that you are better than your subordinates. No one likes dealing with egomaniacs. Arrogance is a deterrent, it destroys relationships and lowers employee morale whereas genuine humility has a way of winning others over.

 

Good leaders empower. Bad ones micromanage. It is dreadful to work under a manager who is more worried about pushing their weight around than building relationships. The role of any leader within a corporate framework is to build up the team and to encourage growth. If we want employees to feel commitment to the organization, we need to show we respect and value them. This takes humility. For loyalty, there has to be a relationship that develops between employee and employer and this develops over time through trust that gets built and sustained. Once people trust you, they will follow your lead. You won’t need to flaunt your title to get them to do the best possible job.

 

People might tolerate a boring job or long commute, but they are more prone to leave if their boss treats them poorly. Humble leaders get the best from people. They have more influence, they retain top talent, and they earn more respect and loyalty than those who rely upon ego and power. Want to be a good boss? Start by taking a slice or two of humble pie!

 

Please leave comments or feedback.

 

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FeaturedLeadership

There Is Always Time for Courtesy and Professionalism

by IPowerIdeas

This is a really good article and it reminded me that many times we are constantly working and thinking in the weeds and overwhelmed with work that we don’t always pay attention, or that we are not in-tune, with how we are acting or behaving as well as what our body language is displaying.

 

We can all take a moment, every day, and stop and smell the roses and remember we can be courteous and professional. These are our team members, our peers, our staff, our colleagues we as posted in other posts, we need to show that we care. As manager and leaders, our team members look to us for strength and control of our emotions (or how we display them). Most of all, they look to us as an example. If we act kindly, genuine, courteous and professional, it will breed like an “infection” to others in your team (and those around you). And we all want to work in a happy and healthy environment.

 

I know with my staff, I routinely remind them to take one hour out of their day to respond to emails, phone calls, and tickets, but most of all to get outside the “work” and build relationships with those around them – those they work with and those they serve – with kindness, sympathy, understanding, and now adding courtesy and professionalism. So far, the feedback I have received has been incredibly positive and reflective of what we talk about every month in our team meetings.

 

Enjoy the article below and I hope you stop and reflect on the meanings in the article and implement the ideas in your work place.

 

 

Happy-People-Talking

Author:
Molly McGee Hewitt

 

There’s Always Time for Courtesy, Professionalism …

 

We’re all busy. I get it. I’m busy, too, and so is my staff. Every member leader of CASBO is busy with their jobs, their lives, their families and their responsibilities. While our calendars and activities may ebb and flow, we’re all busy.

 

Even though we have deadlines, reports and a wide variety of assignments, we always have time for courtesy and professionalism. They are a choice we make each day when we come to work. We can be an asset to our organization, or we can allow our personal issues to take us off course.

 

In one local education agency where I worked, one of my colleagues refused (yes, I said refused) to say hello or good morning or, basically, to have any social interaction with colleagues. Apparently, before I arrived, there was a feud between departments, and this person took it very personally. Their way of dealing with the issue was to become discourteous, sullen and unresponsive. The tragedy for me was that their supervisor allowed this to continue! The entire division was considered rude and unprofessional — not a description that I would want applied to myself or any of my colleagues.

 

Some folks excuse their behavior with statements like, “I’m having a bad day,” or “I have way too much to do,” or “I do not get paid to be nice.” Each of these statements has a ring of truth to them. You may be having a bad day. We all do. It’s when your bad day turns into multiple days, weeks, months and years that I begin to worry. Even on your bad day, is it OK for you to negatively affect your colleagues and coworkers?

 

“I have too much to do” — true, most of us work hard. But is that a valid reason for not being a professional with good social skills? “I don’t get paid to be nice” — huh? Do you get paid to be a surly public servant with no self-awareness or understanding of your effect on the team? I think not. Customer service, both inside and outside of our organizations, is part of every school business official’s job.

 

We live in a world that’s experiencing many divisions and disagreements. For the first time in my life, I find it hard to debate or discuss with some folks any issues that we don’t agree on. I don’t understand where this failure to communicate and share our differences and reasoning comes from. It’s almost like the old Hatfield and McCoy feuds. You’re either on one side or the other, and you refuse to listen to or consider another side.

 

Along with this division comes bullying, name-calling and a derisive attitude toward anyone who challenges or questions authority or motives. Instead of sarcasm being used for comedy and light-heartedness, it’s used as a weapon! How can this be happening in 2018?

 

For years, I’ve worked to adhere to the cliché, “Disagree without being disagreeable.” Critical thinking and strong leadership demands that we consider all options, opinions and concepts before making a decision. It empowers us to make better decisions and lead with dignity. Joining in mudslinging or name-calling doesn’t advance our intelligence or our society.

 

It’s as true today it has been for centuries — respect breeds respect. If we’re courteous to each other, that level of civility creates a positive environment. The very simplest things — like saying hello, thank you, please, nice to see you, how can I help you, or simply acknowledging the presence and effort of others — make an enormous difference. When they’re not present in the workplace, many folks will say they’re in a “hostile work environment.” While that phrase describes an uncomfortable situation, it’s actually a legal term that does not refer to climate!

 

How do you feel when you enter a place where you are not welcomed? How do you feel when someone slights you or fails to acknowledge you or your efforts? Would you want to work for someone who is discourteous or unprofessional? Would your colleagues describe you as courteous and professional?

 

The reality today is that the only way we can change our workplaces or homes is to change ourselves. We need to make sure we’re part of the solution and not part of the problem. We need to keep our bad days in the parking lot and not bring them into the workplace. We need to be beacons of courtesy and professionalism. It all starts with us. Will you join me?

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Humility as Leadership
Leadership

Leadership Development – Humility as Leadership

by IPowerIdeas

Leadership expert Dan Rock­ well says the “secret sauce” ingredient that makes great leaders great is humility. Here are Rockwell’s suggestions for practicing humility as a leader.

 

1.  Turn outward and celebrate others.
2.  Actively seek and act on feedback.
3.  Tell people what you’re learning.
4.  Honor those who influence you.
5.  Enable others to do what you do.
6.  Focus on giving.
7.  Acknowledge frailties and weaknesses while still reaching for new heights.
8.  Listen.
9.  Build relationships.
10.  Bring compassion and empathy to challenge.
11.  Say “thank you.”
12.  Laugh at yourself.

 

“Think of humility as a prac­tice,” Rockwell says. “Sometimes you feel it. Sometimes you practice it.”

 

Really good suggestions, Hard to add to things that work. Being humble not only means not being conceited and expressing it, but it also means you do not sell yourself short on your own skills and experience. As leader you need to express your thoughts and ideas, that is also being humble.

 

I do not like being the focus of attention nor a lot of fanfare on myself. Partly because I am humble and partly because I am successful because I surround myself with productive and dedicated team members and when I am successful, we are all successful.

 

When I won an award for Administrator of the Year – Technology Leader I was not anxious about being in front of a lot of people and giving a speech. But I was truly grateful and humbled that someone recommended me and I was selected. It is also because I am an introvert.

 

And in my other posts on being an introvert and reading people as well as being humble, hungry, and smart I go into more detail about them – please read the post as they are insightful.

 

 

Adapted from “Secret Sauce Sunday: One Secret from Five World Class Leaders”
by Dan Rockwell. Leadership Freak Blog. December 2017. http://leadershipfreak blog. (Creative Commons BY 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0.)

 

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