It
seems the popular thing to downsize these days is PEOPLE! I
cannot tell you how many times I have seen posts on Facebook about how someone
was going to stop being friends with someone else because of the slightest
offense. They did not like someone promoting a rival sports team. They shared a
pic of eating this thing or that. Or, the fan favorite these days, they aligned
with one social or political point of view or another. This got me thinking out
loud about why we are so quick to waste an association with another human
being?
At the
start of every freshmen leadership class I teach, one of the first rules of
leadership I teach is to NEVER waste each other! This does not mean they
have to be best friends or agree on everything, it just means that after all is
said and done at the end of their college years, the really important thing
they will ever have in their life is their relationship with other people.
Now
don’t get me wrong, I strongly encourage people to take a stand. In fact, the second
leadership rule I stress to freshmen leaders is that it is not my job to tell then what their values or beliefs should
be. It is my job, however, to encourage them to discover what their own values
and beliefs are and consistently act upon them (and trust me, I have a lot of former students courageously
living into their passions and I could not be prouder of them!). BUT, the
first rule always takes precedence over the second. You see, fashions fade,
teams win or lose, and the political pendulum swings back and forth, but PEOPLE
remain. At the end of the day, all we really
have is each other.
I
stress this critical leadership truth to both young and old influencers because
if you want to look at this as just as a practical matter, a leader who does
not value others and their viewpoints hinders their IMPACT! If your leadership
is spent solely on those who agree with you or you agree with, then your
leadership is “dead on arrival”! In other words, when a leader cuts off
dialogue with others, then they just lost their ability to influence, persuade,
and maybe even enroll someone into
their point of view!
As leaders,
we must discourage such either/or thinking both within ourselves and among
those that we lead. When you decide to live in an US versus THEM world, we just
end up twice as lonely!
At the end of the day, all we really have is each other.
Another practical matter to consider is that in our
professional lives, we do not have the option to choose the belief systems and
opinions of those around us. We have to accept our co-workers, our bosses, our
teams, our vendors, certainly our clients and customers, etc. as they ARE, not
how we wish they would BE! In fact, we often don’t have that ability in our own
families. I am confident I have “Crazy Uncle” status with my wonderful niece
and nephew!
Leadership expert and author John Maxwell stresses again
and again the importance of valuing others. In fact, at a recent John Maxwell
Team training event I attended, John stressed two things:
- The moment you do not value someone is the second you will take advantage of them.
- You KNOW you value people when you value people who cannot add value to you.
So, if you want to waste time, money, and energy, go right
ahead! In fact, some of the most interesting days in my life is when I did just
that but that’s another story for another day! But NEVER waste people. So, what’s
it to be? Will you VALUE people or will you WASTE them? Will you focus on what
is temporary and changeable in someone or what is permanent? Just as with my
freshmen leaders it is your CHOICE, but always remember we are DEFINED by the choices
we make.
As always if I can help you and the
people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would
invite you to email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the
training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! In fact, I am
launching a new SPEAK FOR IMPACT
training program that will help both novice and experienced leaders find their platform and increase
their communication skills! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud
Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will
send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your
organization! Such an initiative would be critical to add value to your
organization!
Yours in Leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant –
Out Loud Strategies
Independent Coach,
Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email = bill@outloudinc.com
For more information on
the John Maxwell Team, please visit
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