A Leader's Wake

Imagine a boat in a lake motoring forward and creating a wake behind it.

As a leader, you’re the boat.

The wake is the impact felt by your presence.

• Picture the left side of the trail representing how you interact with people.

• The right side of the trail stands for accomplishing tasks.

If I asked you to put an “X” where you fall in the spectrum between where would you place it?

1. A people-oriented leader cares more about connecting with their people, placing individuals in roles according to their strengths and strategizing how to put the best configuration of talent together.

2. A task-oriented leader focuses on setting/achieving goals, evaluating the process efficiency and organization/time management.

Neither is better.

Each is extremely valuable for team success.

But don’t make the mistake of trying to be someone you’re not.

God made you certain way, so instead of fighting it, embrace it.

Before we go forward though, let me throw a wrench in this philosophy.

No matter where you lie on the wake spectrum of leadership one aspect trumps them both.

Care.

You can make the argument that a people-oriented leader has care built in, but that’s not necessarily true.

Leadership can be used for personal gain, manipulation or deception.

And not all task-oriented leaders are ruthless, bulldoze people in their way or default to logic over emotion.

That being said, care is the motor that fuels the boat.

Any great leader worth following cares about the people they lead.

• They feel valued.

• They feel appreciated.

• They feel heard.

I find that the deeper you study leadership, the simple concept of serving is at the core.

Serving others shows people you care about them.

I mean isn’t sacrificial love the highest form of care possible?

Knowing that, it’s still important to know your leadership style and where it’s bent more towards: people or tasks.

But no matter how competent you are, what people remember is how you make them feel.

You can fall on either side (people or task) and still exhibit genuine regard for your team’s wellbeing.

In fact we tend to respect leaders more who are self-aware and know what their strengths and weaknesses are.

So be intentional about creating your wake.

It’s your reputation, “ripple-effect” and legacy on the line.

Yet the engine that drives you is how much you care for the people you lead.

• Do you care about them as people before employees?

• Or are they just a means to an end?

Be honest with yourself, then you can display your leadership style with confidence.

You will be judged as a leader, no matter what.

Isn’t it better to receive feedback that affirms what you already know versus being accused of someone you’re trying to avoid?

So if you need help constructing your wake or just practical tips on how to show care to your people reply to this email.

God Bless,

Scott

P.S. Care for people + achieving tasks consistently sounds like a recipe for success as a leader right?