Culture Corner: Are You Missing a Golden Opportunity in Leadership?
Have you ever had to ask someone for help?
It takes courage to approach a leader or peer and ask for assistance. Unfortunately, too often pride or fear gets in the way and we don’t ask because someone might think less of us.
I recently had a young friend tell me she went to her “boss” looking for insight into a situation with a coworker only to be told she’d just have to figure it out herself because he had bigger things on his plate. What?
The role of a leader involves many things, but none more important than building trust with your team.
Trust takes time to build, as you get to know your team, you guide them, nurture them, and when they come to you for help, you stop what you’re doing and listen.
As a leader, you listen to what’s happening, then talk through/problem solve with the individual to find answers, you should never turn your back on them.
Not everyone knows how to cope with the roadblocks/challenges each day can bring, or the drama that inevitably happens in the workplace or life in general.
As a leader and as a co-worker or peer you have to be intentional about taking the time to lift those up around you, if you don’t, you risk losing them and you miss a golden opportunity to help develop them.
If you feel someone on your team is failing, the first question you should ask yourself is, have I given this person enough time, enough guidance. Employees are the biggest asset of any organization.
Their success is your success. Invest in them, it will pay off.
