~Keith M. Dean~
The Great Leaders know they should not control but create and consistently monitor working environments which give those they lead the opportunity to utilize their response ability to bring about positive outcomes. Controlling working environments can lead to a workforce of mindless zombies where problem solving will be void of creativity and out of the box solutions. Imagination the spark for the ideas of tomorrow is straight jacketed and locked away and communication becomes silenced by the thought of it landing only on deafened ears and fear of retaliation. No doubt the only expectant results from this will be negative. I have found that the easiest way to get out of and avoid this is by making it a common practice to do two things: 1. simply ask “How can I help you?” and 2. Hold what I term Personnel Leadership Sessions (PLS) to ask another question “How are you doing”? How Can I Help You? The question, how can I help you immediately takes you out of the driver’s seat, and with hands no longer on the steering wheel and feet no longer on the gas you have now regulated yourself as an assistant. This does not mean that you should lay your head to side and fall asleep, far from it. This places you in a better position to listen intently for any directional advice that may be asked, and your answers can be focused, unrushed free from the warranted distractions of driving. Also, your new vantage point can now give you a clearer view on all aspects of the driver’s skill set which allows for your advice to be more targeted and aligned to ensure successful results. Personnel Leadership Sessions Personnel Leadership Sessions as I call them, are about taking that open door policy and extending it to wherever you may be and most importantly they are an opportunity to create and strengthen healthy relationships of trust. These casual, random yet intentional leadership sessions give you the chance to share nuggets to motivate and inspire while being primarily geared and focused on the overall wellbeing of those you lead. I have found them to be most effective when one on one, however there were times when three was a not a crowd and beneficial. How Are You Doing? The question, how are you doing will always generate a response which opens the door for further conversation regardless of whether the response was a glum “I’m Ok” or a full of energy “I’m Great.” When I hear those glum responses, I enthusiastically follow up with another question “Well, why not Great.?” And for those full of energy responses, I ask “What’s got you feeling so great.?” Either way the door has been opened for you to be engaged and zero in on what really matters and is happening in the lives of those you lead. Sincerity can be felt, and it matters for the future conversations to be had. And most important of all, always end with the question “What can I help you with?”. Keith M. Dean/CEO & Founder – The BusinessofU