Measuring Leadership - Saying Yes

Good leadership can be measured by how often a leader says yes to their people. Let me prove it.

Good leaders:

1. find the right people for each role,

2. development them to get better & better within that role,

3. and then continue to lead them how they need to be led.

When the right person for each role has been found, is trained & developed, and then is lead well, then much of what that person will think and do, will be right as well. If what your people think and do is right for their role, why would you need to say no to most of their thoughts, ideas, actions or statements?

Let's break down that list of 3 items above for a moment.

Most leaders know that they need the right people in the right roles...

but let me still touch on it for a moment.

If you are saying no a lot, it may be a sign that you have people who are in the wrong roles. Having people in the wrong roles is totally ok when you are newer to your leadership role, or when major changes have just taken place.

A good leader will help people who are not in the right role, come to see that they are not in the right role; and then help them find the right role, even if that role is not on their team/in their organization! Then that good leader finds and trains the right person for the role that was just vacated. Good leadership begins here!

Many leaders know that the right people in the right roles, still need to be trained and developed...

so let me touch on it for a moment.

If you are saying no a lot, it may be a sign that your people simply need training or developing. And it may be your fault.

Everyone is either growing or shrinking. When it comes to waste lines, it can be said that some will hold steady; and that holding steady is good. When it comes to people and the work that they do, holding steady is a form of shrinking... the precursor to failing.

Why?

Because people were created to learn and grow.

So, if you aren't spending at east 20% of your time training and developing your team in an ongoing manner, you are probably not a leader or you are not leading well. And I guarantee that you are saying no more and more to that person(s).

A Few leaders lead others how those others need to be led...

and touching on this fact is the crux of this article.

The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." is a quote from Jesus' most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. And like much of what Jesus said, the Golden Rule is often misunderstood, especially in application. In fact, what many people actually live out is more like "I will give to you what I want from you".

Are your reading this confused, because those two quotes above are the same to you?

Think about it like this: do you really want someone to give you what they want from you? Apply that question to a Christmas or birthday gift. I assure you that I do not want to receive from my wife, what my wife wants me to give her! No, I want my wife to know what I want as a gift and give that gift to me. Then that gift is a sign that she has been listening to me and knows me.

See, what I think that Jesus meant when He stated the Golden Rule, is for us to seek to understand what the needs and wants of others are (in the same way as we want others to seek out our needs and wants), and then help them to get those needs and healthy wants met. Find out how people need to be led, and lead them that way.

"How THEY need to be led?"

Yes. Just like every person is different... each person needs to be led a little differently. Are you focused on results, and lead a person who is focused on connection (because their role requires them to be great at connection)? You need to lead them as best you can from a place of connection... because that is what THEY need.

"But I am NOT a connector!"

I understand that. But you hired them to be them. You need them to be them, in their full "them" glory... and that often requires them being led as they need to be led. You, as the leader, need to make the first steps to adjust to them and what they need. If you aren't good leading that way, then YOU need to make the first steps to grow in that leadership style. Look, you cannot not be a good leader without adhering to the Golden Rule - the REAL Golden Rule.

Here is a more real-world leadership example:

If you are results driven and task focused and hired a connector (because the success of their role is dependent upon them being a great connector), don't keep telling them to always send you an email when they need to talk with you. Yes, email is much more efficient for you. But that isn't what they need. Instead, invite them to occasionally drop into your office or call you. Yes, much of that time will be spent on what you deem as useless chatter; and that is why you are not doing their job!

This totally works in reverse too. Are you connection driven and hired someone whose job is to be hidden in the background, driving results? Then don't drop in on them as much you normally would. Send them more emails (though never do any correction via email).

I do want to clarify one thing... I am not saying that those that you lead get cart blanc to never change, or to never be asked to come toward you and how you do things. I am trying to correct the following fault that I see in many leaders: "You come over to where I am, because I am in charge."

Look, when you consistently initiate making moves in their direction, leading them how they need to be led... most of them will naturally reciprocate and begin to/continue to, move toward you. This will more readily put you and your team "on the same page"... and I can assure you that you will then be saying yes a lot more than you are saying no.

What is your leadership "YES" measurement?

Reach out to us here for help if your "Yes" measurement is low.

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