What People Want From Their Leaders

Leadership is challenging. Leadership is liberating. Leadership is challenging because it is about human beings. It is about making other people better. It is about showing them what is possible.

It is liberating because leading other people makes it possible for you to see what other people are doing, how they are doing it, why they are doing it, and where they are going. It gets you closer to your people. It brings people together.

Leadership is hard. It is not for people who don’t want to be around other people. It is not for people who don’t like to talk about other people’s issues, who are not interested in what is going on around them.

Leadership is about what is going on out there. It is about people. Not just about you. If your leadership life is all about you, then you are not leading. You are trying to lead.

As a leader, you are in charge. You are not just leading other people; you are also leading yourself. Because leading other people without love is dangerous. Leading other people without first leading yourself is not going to work for you.

You are leading other people when you know what you want, when you are inspired to lead people, when you have the courage to have tough conversations about attitudes, behaviors, that you want to see in your organization.

But you have got to take the lead. You have got to go first. Then your people will follow you. Because your people want to see you in front. They want to see you doing the work, not just talking about doing the work. Your people want to follow you. But you have got to have the courage to lead your people forward.

Having the courage to show your people that life is more than what is going on in their lives, it builds relationships. It brings your people closer to you. And it brings you closer to your people. But that doesn’t mean you will always get things right. That is not the case. If you mess up, apologize. Do not look for someone to blame. It won’t work.

Since leadership is about people, if you want to lead, to succeed, you have got to put your people first. You have got to give your people what they want. Treat them with love, with respect. Do not ignore them. Listen to them. Listen to what they have to say. Guess what? Your people have a lot to say. The question is, ‘Will you listen to them?’