Traveled to Hillsboro, Mayville, and Hatton today so needless to say I have had some time on my hands and have been thinking a lot about Leadership and what it actually means.
What does being a leader mean to you? Are you a leader in your everyday life? I believe being a leader can have many definitions as we all view things differently, however I think there are a few characteristics that all leaders do and should posses. I had the privilege of being a boss for almost 8 years to the most amazing college students. I am no expert when it comes to being a boss or a leader but I do have some insight on how to become the best you can be with both. I had amazing teachers to show me how to treat a team and read a lot of leadership books to understand how to make it work. My first book was “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon.
“Love Your Passengers.” ~Jon Gordon (Energy Bus)
Get to Know the People That Work For You:
The first thing that comes to mind when I talk about leadership is getting to know the people that work for you. Some people may think yes I already did that but I mean really get to know the people who work for you as in learn everything there is to know about what makes them tick. Of course, there are some things when you are a boss that you don’t need to know but I’m talking about the way they learn, think, what they like, who they want to become and etc…. The first thing I use to ask a new employee was “what would you like to accomplish while you are here.” I always got strange looks as the job was a basic job with recreation but I knew it could be more if they wanted it to be. I always found out about their families and learned their names. Some may say that you have way too many employees to do that with everyone, but I have to disagree. I would stay after work and go to special events to do this. Also, work some of the shift with them so that they realize that you are human too. I would find out what their favorite food, color, hobbies and anything else that could be a favorite something. They all had different and unique personalities so I never treated them the same. They became a part of my family.
LISTEN:
The next would be to truly listen to your employees. If you are able to listen without interrupting the employee and truly care what they are talking about then it will leave a definite impression. Over the years of being a boss my student’s taught me patience when it came to listening. I always had an open door policy as I never made them feel that what they had to say wasn’t important as being in college is a critical part of life as you are making some big decisions. Some of them talked about work related issues and some would come to my office to talk about life. I learned about relationships, divorces, deaths, fun they were having, and down to what they wanted to do when they finished college. I truly cared for them and wanted them to accomplish everything they set their mind to.
“Successful Teams”“Do ordinary things with extraordinary consistency, commitment and focus.” ~Jon Gordon (Energy Bus)
Communicate:
I think the one thing I learned fast was to communicate with everyone around you as that is the key to a successful team. At staff meetings always make it a point to let your staff talk and let their voice be heard. Of course, I couldn’t always do what they asked of me due to the budget or other circumstances but I communicated with them why I couldn’t do something and walked them through the process so they understood why. Brushing your employees off will only make everyone crabby and cause conflict in the workplace which I have seen firsthand. It is always better to let your employees know of changes that could affect them as for some people change is huge.
Passion:
I think having PASSION for what you do is critical at any job you do. No matter what job I do whether it was mowing lawns, working at the local DQ, or any of my professional jobs I always did/do it with Passion. If others see you have that passion it can be contagious. You can’t expect others to be passionate about their jobs if you don’t show you are. I always wanted to make sure things were done correctly and the best it possibly it could be. Also, spending many hours outside of my normal works hours helping out and being there for my employees showed that I cared and was there for them. I challenge you to see if your passion is projected at what you do for work? If there is no passion there then maybe a check to see if maybe if it is the place for you? Of course, there are going to be those moments when you don’t like your job but leaving that at the door helps. I have met some pretty amazing college students that have so much passion for what they are doing and those are the employees you want on your energy bus as they will keep it moving in the right direction.
Are you going to ride on the bus?
Music on my trips this week was Nirvana with their album “Nevermind” which I could listen to over and over. Also, if you are a Nirvana fan the “Montage of Heck” is an excellent documentary. Here are some of my favorites:
Come as You Are
Lithium
Something in the Way
Until Next Time…………
Traveling With Jo 