The older I get, the more I understand the big picture of my purpose in the business world.Finding your calling or purpose is key to your success. Understanding the purpose of leadership and knowing it is not all about titles but about people, will cause you to be a leader everyone wants to work for. I know my purpose as a leader is to help other leaders become successful.
I take work very seriously and it is not just a job but an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people I work with. Bringing value to my staff is my calling as I lead them. Mentoring them to help them perform better and to believe in themselves not only changes them but also causes success in their job. Spending time with my staff has caused me to be very successful. Meeting regularly and checking up on projects has kept me involved with my staff. If you help your team become successful, you most definitely will be as well. Taking time to know your team and support them by encouraging them and mentoring them will not only cause your team to flourish but you will be fulfilled as well.
I attribute my success to building relationships with staff. After 25 years of trial and error in leading teams, I think I have finally hit the mark. I am very successful today because I took this principle of relationships and added it to my leadership. I get involved in who they are and what their calling and purpose is for my team. I want to know where they fit and what they want to bring to the table. I want to know what their personality is and what motivates them to want to win. My attitude is if you are going to be on my team, we win. We make our mark. We take on our purpose and we go beyond team expectations. This is relationship building. When your staff know you truly care they also will buy in to your vision for your projects. I have seen teams fail because the leader is not personally invested in their staff. They lead by authority only and leaving relationships out. It is strictly leading by title and nothing else. Relationships are most definitely the key to success. Building relationships with your team will help you work through tough projects. As conflict arises and it most often will, you will be able to work through it because you have spent quality time with your staff. Your team flows better because everyone knows their lane and how they fit into the team. It takes an entire team to make a project work. They know you care because you show it. I encourage you to step out and think of ways to build your team stronger by using relationship building.
Ways to build your team through relationships:
1-Meet with your teams often.
2-If you aren’t present, check in through phone or email daily so they know you are available.
3-Empower your team by including them on projects and encouraging them to speak their mind.
4-Send cards of thanks acknowledging how much you appreciate them
5-Take your leaders out to lunch once a month. A change of environment can cause positive changes in your working relationships.
I think your attitude and perspective on teambuilding is spot on. Teams are all about the people who bring their strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and attitude into the environment. No team can exist with all leaders or all follower or a single of each, it takes diversity of thought, insight into methods, experience from life, and focus toward common direction to create a successful team. You seem to have touched on all these different aspects in a manner that makes CSU exceptional. I am proud to be an two time alumni who believes in the inspiration and focus I have gained through association with CSU.
Thanks for all you do.