But Who Cares?

This is a topic that I’ve been hearing a LOT about lately and it breaks my heart as a leader.

You can be the most skilled, charismatic communicator yet completely miss the mark.

I’m talking about: caring for your people.

Yes, I’ve written about this before, but it’s important to amplify the concerns that are out there.

• I have a hard time understanding why someone would enter management without genuinely caring for people in general.

• But I do get that middle management is a stepping stone in your career path to the executive level.

Now you may get away with being a bad manager during your tenure because of your perceived potential, persuasion and protection from higher-ups…

Yet those leaders leave a toxic trail behind them.

On top of that, if you do advance to the executive level those behaviors don’t suddenly disappear - they grow.

People will continue to report to you.

Gallup reports 70% of team engagement depends on the manager.

It’s an honor to be in leadership and it’s humbling to know HOW you treat people can dictate their performance (and length of tenure).

That doesn’t mean just being nice to people is the answer for great leadership.

Not at all.

But let’s look at it the other way around - competence without care leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Think of caring for people as the foundation for great leadership, even a buffer of sorts.

Knowing that you’re valued as an employee gives the leader an added dose of grace (for future mistakes).

In all my years of leadership development, skills can be taught, but a change of heart towards people is nearly impossible to change.

That’s why it’s crucial for companies to identify leaders who care about people before promoting them.

• Look at the way they treat their co-workers

• Listen to their reputation at work

• Observe how they interact with people they clash with

These are the “red flags” to be weary of BEFORE you appoint someone to a leadership role.

From non-profits to huge corporations, the warning signs are the same.

When you place non-relational leaders inside your company they become a liability to your business.

Now does this narrow the pool of leadership candidates?

Yes.

But that’s not a bad thing because leadership is NOT for everyone.

Since managers control the retention rate at your place of employment, whom you select to lead is essential.

Most of the time this gets past recruitment, interviews and onboarding.

Yet if you’re receiving multiple complaints about specific leaders, it’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off (not If, but WHEN)! 

Choosing your leaders wisely will impact your bottom line.

So if you need an extra set of external and objective eyes, reach out for help.

Bad leaders won’t go away - you have to move them.

God Bless,

Scott

If you found this helpful and you’re looking to improve your soft skills as a leader, here are ways to work with me directly:

• 🗣 Hire me to speak at your company or next event (watch my speaking reel here)

• 🎤 Invite me to lead an interactive training workshop, remotely or in-person (depending on location)

• 🤝 Start 1:1 coaching with me as a new manager, current leader or executive (I once managed 30 people 1:1 weekly❗️)

Also, you can help me out by forwarding this to friends whom would benefit from it! Thank you!