No Substitute for Leadership

It seems like we're all looking for a quick fix or a miracle cure nowadays. Fad diets. Get rich quick schemes. Pre-cooked foods. There are shortcuts everywhere you look.

Despite the prevalence of quick and easy solutions in our lives, some endeavors require hard work. One that comes to mind is farming.
Farming - the world's second oldest profession - has been used as a teaching tool by many a motivational speaker and business author: "You reap what you sow." "If you don't plant in the spring you can't expect a harvest in the fall." We've all heard these old adages and platitudes. They're corny (pun intended) and simplistic.

They're also true.

Similar analogies could be applied to leadership.

In leadership, as in farming, the result is directly related to earlier preparation.

I frequently run into business owners who bemoan the behavior of their staff. One common complaint goes something like this: "We hold company huddles and when I ask for input, nobody speaks up. Yet after the meeting is over, everyone shares their comments - which are mostly negative - all around the office."

There are two problems with a workplace like this. One is the lack of feedback during meetings. The other is the willingness of employees to engage in destructive and poisonous conversations outside meetings.

Both problems are treatable with a dose of leadership.

In the first case - lack of discussion in company meetings - how about this approach? Take employees aside, one at a time, and have a private discussion like this: "Joe, you're a respected member of this team. I value your opinion and so do your fellow team members. I know you have good ideas. Yet, when we're in a meeting and I ask for feedback, you usually avoid speaking up. I really want our huddles to be constructive, so having a healthy dialog is important. Can I count on you to more actively participate in the future?"

Any reasonable employee would readily respond to a one-on-one appeal like this.
Let's take a look at the second problem, complaining. I've personally used the following technique in my own businesses, and it works. It depends on being direct and is delivered to the entire team together: "During our meetings, I ask for questions or comments. Generally, there are none. Yet, after the meeting I hear various people offering negative comments about company decisions. Going forward, let's kill the rumor mill and all the negativity. If you aren't comfortable speaking up in our meetings, see your supervisor or me to share your thoughts. But if you aren't willing to do that, then you give up the right to complain to your teammates. If anyone comes up to you and starts complaining, tell them to take it to their supervisor. Let them know that we provide ample opportunities to speak up to our leadership, and that we are all trying to drive negativity out of our workplace."

No yelling. No threatening. Just leadership.

If you enter the word "leadership" into thesaurus.com, one of the synonyms that pops up is influence. It's a good way to describe it. In fact, I think leadership boils down to three main activities:
• Influence
• Setting the example
• Removing obstacles for your people

This stuff is simple but not easy. Putting the time and effort into providing leadership is a business necessity. But don't look for a quick fix. There isn't one.

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