The more people care...

Message To: All Leaders

From: Misty Waterspring, Faux CEO

Good morning leadership staff,

Last week we began expecting all of our leaders to be active, engaged listeners in every interaction. Thank you for making active listening a defining characteristic of your leadership. People are already appreciating the difference. As the quality of our leadership improves, our organization becomes more competitive, more resilient, and more enjoyable.

This week, please integrate essential leadership expectation #2.

Leadership Expectation #2 –Always cause people to care more, not less. To care more about their work, their careers, the success of our organization, its mission, our clients, and the well-being of the communities we serve. But never, ever cause anyone to care less.

It’s as simple as that. But it isn’t that simple. Assuring that people always care more, and never undermining how much they care requires constant self-awareness and intent.

Our organization constantly battles to win the hearts and minds of talented people, worthy clients, and our communities. In that context the things you say and do as a leader are judged by those very same hearts and minds. How well you listen, your choice of words, the inflection of your voice, the truth in your manner, the way you make people feel.

You project an impression whether aware and intentional about it or oblivious. That impression is judged, causing people to either care more or care less about you and the organization you represent. Beginning today, causing people to care less is unacceptable. (Even bad news can be conveyed in a way people understand and respect. It just requires a bit more thought.)

An unaware, oblivious leader is akin to a loose cannon on the deck of a ship: a powerful but ineffective weapon and a danger to both ship and crew. By clearly stating and strictly upholding this expectation of all leaders, we improve the aim and mitigate the threat of our own loose cannons on the deck.

It's a simple truth - the more people care, the better we fare.

Misty Waterspring, CEO

Basic leadership expectation number three in writing next week.

Hope you're off to a great weekend!

Dave

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