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Of course, some employees are demanding. Indeed, people looking to you for leadership can be very high maintenance and that can be a huge nuisance when you want to get something done. Can’t they just leave you alone for a while?
Maybe not. Maybe what they are saying isn’t quite what they mean. Maybe what you’re hearing isn’t at all what they mean. Maybe it’s something truly substantial and you’re oblivious to it because you’re focused on your own tasks. Maybe your most important task is to bring out the best from those who look to you for leadership, rather than to complete the project you want to work on.
That’s a lot of “maybe’s” and I hope they got your attention. Because sometimes the things people talk to you about are less than clearly articulated symptoms of the real issues. If those issues aren’t met in the right way, they may become big enough for you to lose some of the very people you want to keep no matter what.
I was delivering a workshop in Edmonton, Canada a few years back and was focusing on the importance of listening when a CEO in attendance spoke up. He said, “I was talking with my 10-year-old daughter last Saturday and, you know, I’m the CEO of my business and it always has a piece of my mind. So, my daughter was talking and suddenly stopped. With both of her hands she turned my face directly toward hers and said, ‘No, Dad, I want you to listen with girl ears.'”
Sometimes it isn’t just a cigar. Sometimes it’s much more than that.
Like when your people need you to be a sounding board. Or when they want your input. Sometimes they just need you to listen to them. They don’t need you to fix it – they just need you to listen.
I know you get that. Now go do it with the people who look to you for leadership.
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