Leadership Skills – Page 6 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Building a Culture of Empowerment

Posted December 28, 2020
by admin

The greatest leaders aren’t necessarily the ones who do the greatest things. They are the ones who empower others to do great things.- John Maxwell

When the great singer Enrico Caruso had his first voice lesson, his teacher was less than impressed. “You can’t sing.” his teacher exclaimed, “Your voice sounds like a wind in the shutters”.

Not deterred by the review, Caruso’s mother believed that her young son indeed could sing. She was very poor, but she scraped up enough money to pay for his voice lessons. She believed in her son and made great personal sacrifices to help him along.

In order for your organization to move forward and succeed it needs a leader at the helm who will dare to defy the words of its critics and believe in its people. For an aspiring singer like Caruso, he had a mother who believed in him and made sacrifices for his success. Who do your people have?

Building a culture of empowerment is one of the single most important roles you have as a leader. In order to get it right, you have to be intentional. Here are four ways to begin.

Encourage Ownership

Chances are, within your organization are individuals who have a ‘take the bull by the horn’ mentality- those who contribute in significant ways to moving your organization forward. Then again, there are those who simply need encouragement to embrace their skills and overcome their fears in order to rise to their potential.

As a leader, make it your priority to empower your people to own their work, make decisions in real-time, and to act in harmony with your values. When ownership increases so does morale which leads to greater wins for everyone.

Promote Collaboration

When the people within your organization learn how to work in collaboration with one another it builds a momentum you would not otherwise experience. This type of energy is not created alone nor is it sustained alone. It takes a group of dedicated people working together to make it happen.

As a leader, it’s important to understand the power of collaboration. When your people see each other as allies instead of competitors, it will change the dynamic of your organization Click To Tweet. When you promote collaboration and you promote empowerment.

Challenge Traditions

The most deadly words in any organization -’ this is the way we’ve always done it’, will have the same consequences for your organization if you do not challenge traditions. If 2020 has taught us anything in leadership, it’s taught us how to pivot and has upended many traditional ways of doing things. When your people have the freedom to shake things up a bit it creates new energy of empowerment that can move your team to a higher level.

As a leader, you must empower your people to challenge traditions that have lingered too long or serve no practical purpose now. Don’t forsake the values that brought you where you are, but be willing to take a fresh look at those practices going forward.

Elevate Everyone

Your people are the most appreciable asset you have as a leader. When you elevate your people with your words, your actions, and your daily decisions, you demonstrate their importance in tangible ways. This type of empowerment has a lasting impact that is an extension of your leadership.

While empowering your people is one of the most important things you can do for your organization, being the type of leader that adds value to others is your highest calling as a leader. Click To TweetMake it your practice to add value above all else.

Final Thoughts

One of the greatest returns on your leadership is not in what you can get others to do for you, but in what you can do for them. The day you realize that it’s not about you is the day you will begin to empower others.

The Cardinal Point Leadership Podcast is coming in January 2021! The Cardinal Point Leadership Podcast is for leaders young and old. My desire is simple – to cut through the clutter and deliver leadership content that is relevant, practical, and useful. Here we will talk about leadership development, employee engagement, servant leadership, and much more.

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Three Truths About Encouragement in Leadership

Posted October 29, 2020
by admin

How do you know someone needs encouragement? They are breathing. – S. Truett Cathy

A young boy, on an errand for his mother, had just bought a dozen eggs. Walking out of the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the sidewalk was a mess. The boy tried not to cry.

A few people gathered to see if he was okay and to tell him how sorry they were. In the midst of the words of pity, one man handed the boy a quarter.

Then he turned to the group and said, “I care twenty-five cents worth. How much do the rest of you care?”.

In many ways, encouragement is the lifeblood of leadership. So long as you are around a person who’s breathing they need encouragement.

While it may not be hard to imagine what your organizational culture would be like without encouragement taking place, imagine what the possibilities would be like if it were? The challenge in leadership as it relates to encouragement is to be as generous as possible.

Encouragement is the lifeblood of any organization. Here are a few reasons why you need to pass it along.

Encouragement can be a game-changer

A word of encouragement given at the right time can make the difference between success and failure for the person receiving it. And in some cases, it’s not so much the uplifting word spoken that made the difference, but the timing of it that turned things around.A word of encouragement given at the right time can make the difference between success and failure for the person receiving it. Click To Tweet

It’s been said that everyone is facing struggles we know nothing about. You never know how your word of encouragement can give a person that extra dose of confidence to continue on and not give up. Never underestimate the power of a kind word.

Encouragement is a unifier

Just as gossip and office politics tends to divide, encouragement sets the bar at a higher level. Encouragement tends to bring people together in a way that destructive words never will. Your organization will grow stronger and healthier when words of encouragement are at the center of your conversations.

If you are looking for ways to bring your people together, look first at the way in which you communicate with your people. Click To TweetBringing your people together begins with words of encouragement. So long as your people know you have their backs it makes every other conversation better.

Encouragement builds relationships

One of the benefits of encouragement is that it builds bonds between you and your people. It’s easy to come together over words of encouragement, but the relationships that emerge from it are where you can really make improvements. This is where you can take your people to a higher level and out of their comfort zones.

Developing relationships takes time and commitment. It begins with the power of your words. Encouragement for the sake of encouragement is always good. But at some point, you want to take your people to a higher level. Encouragement sets the table to do so.

Final Thoughts

If there’s ever been a time for encouragement in the workplace it’s now. Many of your colleagues and friends are hungry for an encouraging word of support. Be the voice of hope. Be the voice of understanding. Be the voice of encouragement that others need.

Who have you encouraged today?

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Leadership In The Era of The Partisan Divide

Posted September 23, 2020
by admin

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies. – Groucho Marx

An elderly gentleman was sitting on a park bench, basking in the sun when another elderly man sat down next to him. They looked at each other for a moment but did not speak. Both men sat there, staring straight ahead.

After a while, one of them heaved a big, heartfelt sigh.

The other jumped up immediately and said, “If you’re going to talk politics, I’m leaving.”

Leadership in the best of times can be difficult. John Maxwell eloquently put it this way, “Sometimes, leadershi[p sucks.” Can you relate?

Being a leader during an election cycle such as we are in now has the potential to create a toxic environment in your workplace. Chances are, you have already experienced it on some level. And while people can be very passionate about their views, how you tread these waters as a leader can be tricky. Side with group A and you alienate those in group B. Side with group B and you alienate those in group A – and back and forth it goes.

Here’s the reality – everyone has a set of political beliefs that they subscribe to and regardless of those beliefs, everyone’s views ought to be respected. No one’s morals should be called into question regardless of who they support or oppose and no one should be punished because of it.

As a leader, how you position yourself among your people during this time is important. Some leaders within their organizations opt to stay out of it. Others jump right in. But in the context of the effects on your culture and relationships, what’s a good approach? Here are a few tips.

Foster a culture of acceptance

How you model acceptance is important. Our diversity is our greatest asset. We are better for it. There ought to be room for differing views without fear of repercussion. Click To Tweet As for your workplace culture, acceptance fosters relationships that lift and unites, never tearing down. It’s not unreasonable to expect that people with differing political views can work together for the good of the organization.

Promote meaningful dialogue

So long as we are shouting over one another, the partisan divide will always exist. Meaningful dialogue with an emphasis on asking questions and listening will go a long way in building bridges rather than tearing them down. Your workplace culture ought not to be a place where your people dread going during this election season. It ought to be a place for meaningful conversations. Click To Tweet

Always protect your culture

While it may be wishful thinking that all conversations are meaningful between your people and everyone is accepting of the views of their colleagues – all it takes is one, two, or more to upend your culture and wreak havoc in your workplace. These people can be toxic to your culture and the consequences can be detrimental. Above all else, you must protect your culture.

Final Thoughts

While it’s important that we accept the views of others and that we aim for meaningful conversations, we must also bear in mind that not everyone cares to participate in these exchanges in your workplace. Believe it or not, there are those who are just as passionate about their politics as you, just not as vocal. They just choose not to constantly talk about it or post their opinions all over social media. That has to be respected as well.

Leading in the era of the partisan divides doesn’t have to be destructive, but it will take strong leadership to pull it off.

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When Adversity Comes – Keep Climbing!

Posted September 2, 2020October 15, 2020
by admin

Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity. – Lou Holtz

In May of 2001, Erik Weihenmeyer accomplished something that only about 150 people per year do – reach the top of Mt. Everest. The thing that made Erik’s achievement unusual is that he is the first blind person to succeed at scaling the tallest mountain in the world. Erik was born with a disease called retinoschisis, and by the time he was thirteen, he was completely blind. Rather than focus on what he could not do, he made the choice to focus on what he could do and went much further than almost anyone expected.

It’s been said that adversity introduces a man to himself. And while most don’t go looking for adversity, life happens. And whether we like it or not, we all face our share of adversity.

Without question, 2020 thus far has been like no other year any of us have ever lived through. Perhaps some of you are like me, you keep thinking it’s just one bad dream we will wake up from and it will all be over with. Can you relate?

As a leader, you will face your share of adversity if you hang around long enough. Some of it will come in ways and from places you didn’t see coming, some of it will come from the least likely person you know, and at times it will be self-inflicted. Regardless of the source – how you deal with it as a leader will make all the difference.

When adversity comes – here are a few simple reminders to hold onto.

Adversity doesn’t discriminate

As a leader, don’t take adversity personally. Adversity comes to all of us. But know this – the size of your dream often will determine the level of adversity. The greater the dream and the loftier your goals, the more challenges you will face Click To Tweet. So when your adversity comes, keep climbing!

Adversity doesn’t define you

Having adversity does not define you as a leader, but how you respond to it will. You can’t always choose the battles you will face, but you choose how you will fight them. Adversity does not have to define you in a negative way, but how you deal with it will reflect on your leadership. Click To TweetThe best thing to do when facing it is to keep climbing!

Adversity is a great teacher

If you allow it, adversity can be your teacher on your leadership journey. Every trial, setback, or failure will introduce you to yourself. If you are smart, you will learn your lessons and apply them to the next challenge. You may not like the process, but what we gain from those experiences can be valuable. When adversity comes consider class in session and don’t give up. Keep climbing!

Final Thoughts

One thing I’ve learned over the years is how adversities change. The personal struggles and adversities I overcame 30 years ago, by and large, are not the ones I battle with today. As you grow as a leader, the adversities you deal with will reflect that season in your life. As you grow and mature as a leader, your adversities will change with you. What you once considered a great challenge or adversity ten years ago, will look much different today as will how you deal with it.

The takeaway from this leadership lesson is to never stop climbing. You will come through this season of adversity if you never give up.

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When Critics Come Calling (Part 1)

Posted August 6, 2020
by admin

Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing – Aristotle

In a Peanuts cartoon Linus is curled up in a chair, reading a book, while Lucy stands behind him with a funny look on her face. Lucy then says, “It’s very strange. It happens just by looking at you.”

“What happens?” Linus asks.

Lucy calmly answers, “I can feel a criticism coming on.”

Criticism. It’s the constant companion of leaders. Hang around long enough and you will come to know this truth about leadership. Click To Tweet

“No leader lives a day without criticism,” said J. Oswald Sanders, “and humility will never be more on trial than when criticism comes.”

What about you? What’s been your experience? How have you dealt with criticism?

Let’s look at three common reactions when critics come calling.

We take it personally

Most leaders I know have a deep sense of pride in their work and otherwise like to think of themselves as good leaders. When critics come calling, it’s a normal reaction to take it personally and get defensive.

Another consideration is the source of the critic. While it can be easy to brush it off as petty behavior from a disgruntled colleague, it especially hurts when it comes from someone we once considered close.

While this is a common reaction, it may not always be the most healthy reaction. More about that later.

We retaliate

A sure sign that we have taken the critics too seriously is that we retaliate. We justify ourselves by pointing out the faults of the accuser. How many times have you, or someone you know gone down this road? How did that work out?

The trap here, if you go down this road, is now you have entered into an unhealthy game of comparison. In order to justify your hurt ego, you now have to engage on the level of the critic in an unhealthy way. Now, by your act of retaliation, you have escalated the situation whereby making amends becomes more difficult because you allowed your bruised feelings to get in the way.

While this may make you feel good in the short-term, you have now put up barriers and slowed any chance of reconciliation.

We put up walls

Among these three common reactions, this is perhaps the most destructive to your leadership. And this reaction has nothing to do with your critics. This response is all on you.

To be sure, no one likes it when critics come calling – especially when the critic has less experience or is nothing more than arm-chair quarterback with no skin in the game. I mean, who the heck do they think they are, right?

But when you choose to put up walls – those defensive measures- it is the one action that hurts you more in the long run. When you cut people off you put yourself in danger of hearing only from the people who will tell you what you want to hear - not what you need to hear. Click To Tweet

So what is a leader to do? What should your posture be when your critics come calling? What can you learn from your critics? These questions and more will be answered in When Critics Come Calling (Part 2).

Final Thoughts

As the saying goes, haters are going to hate. But for you in leadership, there’s no room for that. And while dealing with it comes with the territory, you can rise above it, learn from it, and be a better leader because of it.

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How Indecisive Leaders Hurt Morale

Posted July 8, 2020
by admin

Indecision may or may not be my problem – Jimmy Buffett

A story is told of former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, “Do you want square toes or round toes?” Unable to decide, Reagan didn’t answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days.

Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn’t decide, so the shoemaker replied, “Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready.” When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! “This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you,” the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. “I learned right then and there,” Reagan said later, “if you don’t make your own decisions, someone else will.”

Indecisive leadership is a crippling character trait for leaders. When your organization needs clear direction and decisive action, a waffling leader can cause more harm than good.

With so much at stake, why do leaders waffle and struggle with decision making? Three primary reasons come to mind.

They lack clarity

Leaders who struggle with decision making may lack the necessary clarity needed to make the necessary decision. Rather than making the wrong decision, they make no decision at all.

They lack confidence

In some situations, leaders withhold decision making because they are not confident enough in their own instincts. Rather than take a risk and make a decision, they play it safe and everyone is left dangling.

They lack consensus

In some cases, leaders withhold decision making because they don’t have a consensus on the best path forward. Rather than offend a few with a decision, the leader demoralizes everyone by not making one.

So what is a leader to do? How can a leader overcome this agonizing dilemma? Here are a few ideas.

Trust your instincts

A confident leader will trust his or her instincts in times of decision. Deep down you have a strong intuition that guides you. Trust it.

Invite input

Decisive leaders are informed leaders. Those most affected by your decisions should be the first at the table of discussion. As it’s been said, “the person who sweeps the floor should choose the broom”. Welcome input, but make your decisions on principle, not politics.

Clarify your values

The worst thing you can do as a leader is to make a decision for the sake of making one. Roy Disney was right when he said, “When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier”. When making a decision make sure it aligns with your values. If not, don’t do it.

Check your motives

First and foremost in your decision making should be what’s best for your organization and people. If you are making decisions to gain popularity or to gain favor with some to the detriment of others you are sowing the seeds of low morale. You must have the best interest of the team at heart and not just a few.

Final Thoughts

Leadership is about making hard decisions. Indecisive leaders make it harder–on themselves and those they lead. Your path forward begins by acknowledging what your indecisive tendencies are doing to your leadership and how it’s impacting the morale of those you lead.

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Why Encouragement Matters in Leadership

Posted March 1, 2020
by admin

If you are a leader, you should never forget that everyone needs encouragement. – John Maxwell

As a young boy, he worked in a factory but had an intense desire to be a singer. When he turned ten years old, he took his first voice lesson which procured a less than encouraging remark from his teacher, “You can’t sing. You haven’t any voice at all. Your voice sounds like a wind in the shutters.”

His mother, however, believed that he could learn to sing. She was very poor, but she hugged and said, “My boy, I’m going to make every sacrifice to pay for your voice lessons.”

Her encouragement and sacrifice for her son proved to be invaluable. He became known as one of the world’s greatest singers. His name is Enrico Caruso.

I’m always inspired by stories like this. To think that the turning point for a world-renowned singer was the encouragement from one person who believed in him when others passed him over.

Think about your own story. Who was it that inspired and challenged you to be your best and pushed you to go further than you thought possible?

I’m thankful for teachers who helped me reclaim the confidence I need to succeed in school due to my struggle with dyslexia. Without their understanding and their encouragement to me to push through and overcome my learning challenges, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Encouragement is the secret sauce for all successful leaders. And all leaders who want to add value to those around them but are not quite sure where to start - well, this is it. Click To Tweet There are many benefits to encouraging those around you, but here are three that stand out.

Encouragement pays immediate dividends

In any given moment, a word of encouragement is the boost a friend or colleague needs. Without your knowledge, encouragement can be a game-changer for someone who may have felt like giving up and throwing in the towel.

Never underestimate the power of encouragement at the moment in which it was given. It may not seem like all that much to you at the time, but it could make all the difference in the world to the one who just received it.

Encouragement creates margins

Have you ever had those times when you just felt stuck? You were in that funk and it was like your head was in a cloud. I know I have. Many times. When I look back, I can see where it was a word of encouragement snapped me out of it. It caused me to look at my circumstances from a different perspective and try another way.

Encouragement is not meant to be an isolated emotional boost of support. Encouragement stirs you to look at your circumstances differently and find new paths to better solutions. Click To TweetYour word of encouragement may be all it takes for someone else to find new margins they need.

Encouragement creates a boomerang effect

There’s an old saying, “What goes around, come around,” and that is especially true with encouragement. Every leader worth his or her salt is an encouragement to those around them. It’s in a leader’s DNA.

While it’s never about what you get in return, every word of encouragement you give as a leader has a boomerang effect and comes back around in positive ways in your own life. Be generous with encouragement. People around you need it now more than ever. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

By our words and actions, we are either building or destroying. As a leader, let me admonish you to see the best in others, believe the best in others, and speak words of encouragement to those around you. When you do, everyone benefits.

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When Things Aren’t Always Clear

Posted November 10, 2019
by admin

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. – George Bernard Shaw

Communication is the lifeblood of any good organization. With it, things run smoothly. Without it, it’s a constant struggle.

Consider this humorous story I came across not long ago. It was about a man who lacked tact. He was the type of person who just couldn’t say anything graciously.

He and his wife owned a poodle. They loved this dog. It was the object of their affection. The wife was to take a trip abroad, and she made it to New York on the first day. She called home and asked her husband, “How are things?”

He said, “The dog’s dead!”

She was devastated. After collecting her thoughts, she asked, “Why do you do that? Why can’t you be more tactful?”

He said, “Well, what do you want me to say? The dog died.”

She said, “Well, you can give it to me in stages. For example, you could have said, ‘The dog went out on the roof.’ And then when I travel to London the next day and call, you could tell me, ‘Honey, the dog fell and had to be taken to the vet. In fact, he’s in the hospital, not doing well.’ And finally, when I call you from Rome, ‘Honey, brace yourself. Our dog died.’ I could handle that.”

The husband paused and said, “Oh, I see.”

Then she asked, “By the way, how’s Mother?”

He said, “She’s on the roof.”

Communication. How would you rate it in your organization? Is it good? Bad? Why is that? If it’s bad, is that a reflection of the culture at large or is it more random? Regardless of your answers, one thing is for certain – good communication matters.

As a leader, you want to make sure that your communication systems are working. It needs to be C.L.E.A.R.

C – Correct.

It’s not enough that communication in your organization is taking place. The information that is flowing within and out of your organization needs to be accurate. Expediency serves no purpose if the information is wrong Click To Tweet. Make sure it’s correct. Nothing is more frustrating than inaccurate information being disseminated. It makes you look bad and frustrates the very people you are trying to serve.

L – Logical

A necessary ingredient to good communication is that it’s logical. Make sure that it serves a useful purpose and is beneficial to those who receive it. If the information you are trying to communicate is important enough to be distributed to those in your organization and beyond, then it’s important that it’s done right. Don’t put forth information that is irrelevant or hard to understand.

E – Essential

It’s one thing to communicate regularly, but how much of that communication is essential? How would a communication audit look for you and your organization? How much of what you communicate in a meeting could have been handled in an email? Click To TweetHow do you recoup that lost time in productivity? What about those unnecessary emails that clutter up the inbox? Good communication is necessary but make sure that what you are communicating is essential. Don’t waste people’s time with the trivial.

A – Accessible

Information that your people need should be accessible through good communication channels. Make sure that people who are supposed to be in the loop are in the loop. Don’t make access to information difficult or make assumptions that it’s been received. Nothing will frustrate your people more than being in the dark on matters that they should know about. Be intentional with your communication and make it accessible. Click To Tweet

R – Regular

Good communication within your organization should be regular. In other words, good communication practices should be a part of the routine of your organization. It’s dependable, it’s reliable, it’s accurate, and you’ve built a reputation upon it. Avoid the pitfalls of poor communication and poor morale by good communication a priority. Too much is at stake not to.

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Leadership and the Law of Timing

Posted September 29, 2019
by admin

We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. – Walt Disney

The story is told of two men riding a tandem bicycle up a steep hill. After much effort, they finally made it to the top of the hill. The front rider said, “That was a tough ride.” To which the second rider replied, “Sure was, and if I hadn’t kept the brake on we might have slipped backward.”

While that humorous story may bring a chuckle, there’s not much to smile about when that same mindset is at work within your organization.

You know the type of people I’m talking about – those who are the last to adapt to change, those who always seem to hold up progress, and those who always have a reason as to why things can’t be done. They are the ones applying the brakes.

Identifying those who are applying the brakes within your organization may not necessarily be hard to figure out, but the greater question is why they are doing it. So let me ask you – is everyone who applies the brakes an obstructionist? Are there times when it’s actually a good option?

Allow me to share six quick insights with you. The first three are the times when a person in your organization is applying the brakes for negative or selfish reasons. The last three are when it’s in your best interest to hit the pause button for the moment.

Fear of the future

Those who hold the brakes can be those who are simply afraid of the future. This can be the case because they fear that you will be unable to replicate the successes of the past or a fear of repeating its mistakes. Either way, it’s fear that motivates them to hold the brakes going forward.

Traditions die hard

Some hold the brakes because they just can’t let go of the way things have always been done. It’s the proverbial mindset of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, that stifles creativity and holds the team back and prevents progress. Some traditions die harder than others, but so long as people hold onto them they are hindering progress. Click To Tweet

Loss of control

It’s sad to say, but true nonetheless -some people apply the brakes because it’s the only option they have left. If they can’t be in control of the future direction of the organization then their last tactic is to hold up progress for everyone else.

The mission isn’t clear

Some of your team may be applying the brakes because the mission isn’t clear and going forward without that clarity may not be the best option. To be sure, sometimes the brakes are applied out of personal grievances, but sometimes the brakes need to be applied because there’s no clear path forward. Knowing the difference is the key to smart leadership.

The objective is right but the timing is wrong

Timing is everything when it comes to your organizational mission. The best goals executed at the wrong time can sink you. Click To Tweet Understanding the law of timing is essential to your leadership and to your success.

Not everyone has bought in

Sometimes you need to apply the brakes before going forward because not everyone on the team is on board. You need all of your team members moving in the same direction with clarity of purpose. It’s up to you as a leader to get them there. When the timing is right and the mission is clear then you can release the brakes and unleash your potential.

Essential to your leadership development and organizational growth is knowing when to apply the brakes and when to release the brakes. It will make all the difference going forward.

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Don’t Throw Your People Under The Bus

Posted September 8, 2019September 8, 2019
by admin

See the light in others, and treat them as if that is all you see. – Wayne Dyer

I read a story about a farm boy who accidentally overturned his wagon-load of corn in the road. The farmer who lived nearby came to investigate. “Hey, Willis,” he called out, “forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner with us. Then I’ll help you get the wagon up.”

“That’s mighty nice of you,” Willis answered, “but I don’t think Pa would like me to.”

“Aw, come on, son!” the farmer insisted.

“Well, okay,” the boy finally agreed. “But Pa won’t like it.”

After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. “I feel a lot better now, but I just know Pa is going to be really upset.”

“Don’t be foolish!” exclaimed the neighbor. “By the way, where is he?”

“Under the wagon,” replied the boy.

Being under the wagon is not a fun place to find yourself. Sadly, that’s exactly where too many have found themselves as it relates to their boss.

A study reported on in HR Drive says that three out of four people have had a toxic boss. According to a Monster survey they cite, more than one-quarter have described their bosses as “power-hungry” who are looking out only for themselves.

With survey results like this, is it any wonder that many employees feel being thrown under the bus is just part of the culture?

As a leader, how you treat your people speaks volumes about your leadership. While it’s a given that your people don’t want to be thrown under the bus as a result of poor leadership skills, let’s not assume that you understand this.

Here are a few essentials you need to remember going forward.

Your people are the greatest appreciable asset you have

As a leader, your people are the greatest appreciable assets you have. How you treat them, equip them, empower them, invest in them, and serve them reflects on the integrity of your leadership like nothing else will. If you think that I am overstating this, then answer this question – where would you be without them?

Your people want your loyalty and respect

Loyalty is a two-way street. You can’t rightfully expect your people to extend loyalty to you if it’s not been given by you.If all your people do is doctor the wounds from the tire prints left by the bus you’ve thrown them under then don’t expect their loyalty in return. Click To Tweet The respect that you show is the respect you deserve.

Your people don’t care how much you know

You’ve heard the old adage, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. And that much is true. But beyond how much you know, they want to know that you are authentic and real. They want to know that you are not only there for them in the good times, but that you will be right there in the trenches with them in the bad times. Your people don’t care as much about the facts and figures in your head, they want to know what’s in your heart. Click To Tweet

Your people are invested in what they help create

More than anything else, your people want to know that they are a part of something greater than themselves. They want to be on a team with like-minded people and know that they are valued. This leadership mindset begins with relationships and is sustained by trust.

In short, your people don’t want to be thrown under the bus by an insecure, ego-driven leader. They want to be on the bus – in the driver’s seat, delivering excellence every day. Don’t be an obstacle to the progress that could be yours. Your people are more valuable as contributors on the bus, not when they are being dragged beneath it.

Additional Resources:

Check out these articles from my archives:

7 Things You Do As A Leader That Your People Can’t Stand

How To Defeat A Culture Of Apathy

Get Off Your High Horse

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