In their latest post for Fast Company online, management experts Scott and Ken Blanchard share that, “One of the big mistakes we see among otherwise promising managers is the self-limiting belief that they have to choose between results and people, or between their own goals and the goals of others. We often hear these people say, ‘I’m not into relationships. I just like to get things done.’”
Their conclusion?
“Cutting yourself off, or choosing not to focus on the people side of the equation, can—and will—be a problem that will impact your development as a leader.”
Have you inadvertently cut yourself off from your people? Many leaders have. It’s usually because of time pressures, or a single-minded focus on results—but sometimes it’s also a conscious choice to create “professional distance” that allows you the emotional room to make tough choices.
That’s a mistake say the Blanchards. “The best working relationships are partnerships. For leaders, this means maintaining a focus on results along with high levels of demonstrated caring.”
They go on to caution that, “The relationship foundation has to be in place first. It’s only when leaders and managers take the time to build the foundation that they earn the permission to be aggressive in asking people to produce results. The best managers combine high support with high levels of focus, urgency, and criticality. As a result, they get more things done, more quickly, than managers who do not have this double skill base.”
Don’t limit yourself—or others
Don’t limit yourself, or others, by focusing on just one half of the leadership equation. You don’t have to choose. In this case you can have it all. Create strong relationships focused on jointly achieving results. To read the complete article—including some tips on getting started—be sure to check out Getting Your Team Emotionally Engaged Is Half The Leadership Battle. Here’s How To Do It
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This is an excellent article. A good relationship the team is #1 and that begins with trust. The trust begins with the leader.When that relationship is established the team will go above and beyond to accomplish the goals of the team or organization. If you like please check out my leadership blog. bit.ly/10chqLC
Management and leadership play two different roles. We lead people and we manage processes. They are both critical to sustained success. There should never be compromise between excellence in both. Organization that only focus on results achieve great financial returns but create an unhealthy culture that drives out many good people. Organizations that only focus on creating a Kumbaya atmosphere end up frustrating their team and customers due to lack of systems that allow them to succeed. It reminds me of a quote, “a motivated employee with a shovel will never outperform a demotivated employee on a bulldozer”. There shouldn’t be a compromise between one and the other. I’ve seen the motivated employee on the bulldozer. There is no one or the other. It’s absolutely both for those organizations seeking sustained excellence.
I totally agree! I blogged about how important relationships are as well. It amazes me how many leaders miss this. http://motivationalschoolleadership.blogspot.com/2013/01/post-8-what-did-daniel-pink-miss.html
Reblogged this on Havad English.
Well said, to be a leader you surely need to have a great team of people around you.
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Reblogged this on Gr8fullsoul.