Help Others Succeed

The number one job of any leader is to help others succeed. If you’re a leader, you can measure your success by the success of the people you lead. Are people in your organization thriving? Are they excited to come to work everyday? Do they feel safe enough to raise impediments and concerns to you? Do they know you have their back? Are you working hard to help them be successful?

A few years ago, while I was leading a development team, I sent out a survey to my direct reports asking for feedback on how I could improve as a leader. Their feedback was completely anonymous and they could say anything they wanted. I got a lot of great, constructive feedback that I took to heart. But I’ll never forget one of the responses. It simply said, “I love that my boss is my number one fan!” When I first read that it almost brought tears to my eyes. Leadership can be very difficult yet very rewarding. That was one of those rewarding times that I’ll never forget. I knew I was doing something right!

The formula is pretty simple.
1. Listen to your people
2. Have empathy for your people
3. Empower your people
4. Be your people’s number one fan

…and the rest will work itself out.