How to create Leaders, not Followers

by Steve A Blog, Leadership Styles, Talking To Your People, Uncategorized

We always underestimate the incredible impact of our presence in our organizations.

Walking through the office, around the shop floor or on a project job site can be very revealing.

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Imagine being the leader who learned something new about your organization every time you did a walk around.

Imagine sparking a new conversation about how to do things better every day.

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Imagine the impact on your team if they felt their work and effort were valued.

What goes on in your workplace that reinforces the concept that you and the people at the top are leaders and everyone else is a follower? You might be startled by how persuasive this is within your organization.

When did you last walk around with a curious intention to see what was happening?

What would it tell you if your people were:

        • Checking with bosses to get permission to go home or take a break
        • Supervisors held meetings to detail only what they expected from their employees
        • Employees had to fill in forms or send emails to get permission to act
        • Only certain positions or ranks, could make certain decisions
        • Supervisors asked questions of their employees to establish authority rather than curiosity & respect
        • Employees report only problems instead of bringing ideas for solutions
        • Conversations between employees and supervisors where subordinates, in effect, were only told what to do.

Next time you talk to your team members, discuss what they see or think with your employees.

Read about the power of not talking during a conversation.

Some questions could be:

        • If you were me, what would you be worried about?
        • Can you describe the decision we need to make here?
        • Can you explain the pros and cons of the decision?
        • I wasn’t here, what would you do?

If you find yourself in a position where you feel like you might need the boss to tell you what needs to be done, try these questions:

        • I don’t want you to tell me what to do here, but can you provide more clarity?
        • What is your overall intention with the project?
        • What would it look like if I was successful?
        • How can I make this more successful for both of us?