Many leaders perpetually wrestle with others as a way to gain respect for their authority instead of realizing that their approach is internally flawed. The missing aspect is honest respect for the value that their team brings. As backward as this sounds, it is the single piece that will strengthen a leader’s success outside of their own personal abilities. Here is why.
Team Efforts Strengthen a Leader’s Vision
Everyone has valuable pieces to offer to the puzzle, and this should not be taken as a threat. In fact, the input of others actually adds to a leader’s vision, providing various perspectives and an influx of ideas to make a plan better than before. A leader’s duty is to encourage the involvement of their team and to credit them as often as possible. This creates a continuous effort of paying favours forward.
Leaders Are Only As Good As Their Team
Being the head honcho can be a disastrous journey if a team is lacking or improperly represented. A true leader recognizes that group efforts produce the most monumental results. By encouraging autonomy, requesting feedback, asking for help, implementing the ideas of others, and showing endless gratitude, team members will go above and beyond to produce the best outcomes. But if they feel disenchanted, a world of dead ends will follow, sending a leader on a downwards slope.
Relatability Is The Greatest Act Of Humility
The bottom line is, people like to be related to, not looked down upon. This is why plenty of talented leaders manage to miss the mark and fail to rise to their greatest potential. Meeting others at eye level is not a way of compromising one’s own power. It is, however, a way of speaking the language of those who are tasked to build and nurture the overall operation. When people can see themselves reflected in a leader’s ways, it bridges the gap between superiority and inferiority, reminding everyone that they are respected for who they are, despite their rank.
There is great strength in numbers. No matter how much talent a leader possesses, without the backing of a strong team that feels honoured to build towards their success, they will never reach their highest potential, limiting their life-long achievements.
This blog was originally published on James Crickmore’s website.