This post is by Becky Robinson in partnership with Weaving Influence, a full-service digital marketing agency. Since launching 10 years ago, Weaving Influence has helped clients launch more than 150 books, carving its niche in working with authors, thought leaders, coaches, consultants, trainers, nonprofit leaders and speakers to market their services and books.
Hosting a team member’s COVID-safe wedding in my backyard. Attending the funerals of a team member’s mother, aunt, and mother-in-law, whom she lost over a one-year period. Births. Adoption. Loss of beloved pets. Breakups. Kids in crisis. Marriage conflict. A cancer diagnosis. Car accidents. Job loss. Illness.
These are a few of the experiences I’ve navigated in my 10 years of leading a company. Being trusted with people’s vulnerable moments is an honor, and memories of these experiences are far more vivid than the day-to-day work we complete.
Because leaders lead people, being a leader often means the opportunity to support people through the ups and downs of life. This proximity of working together regularly and closely creates the possibility that we can develop a huge and lasting impact on our colleagues’ lives — if we choose to.
If you are a leader who wants to create the biggest possible impact for your work, consider choosing commitments to value, consistency, generosity and longevity. Let’s talk about each briefly:
Commit to bringing value in every interaction
Whatever your role is in your organization, focus on adding value to any conversation, initiative or task. Communicate your areas of expertise clearly to any stakeholders you collaborate with so they can see how to best tap into and access the value of your knowledge, experience or perspectives.
A surprising way to create value in your relationships with your team is to be as authentic as possible. When you share openly and honestly with your team about your challenges, struggles and emotions, you open up a door for team members to share openly and honestly about how they are doing and any emotions they are experiencing. Your openness creates a sense of safety and shows people a way of bringing more of themselves to work.
Be as generous as you can in supporting others with your time, energy and encouragement
Generosity can be expressed in workplaces through our actions and attitudes. We can choose to believe the best about our team members, addressing conflict or breakdowns with curiosity instead of anger or judgment. We can make time to listen to people’s perspectives. We can create space for people to connect personally at the beginning of every call instead of diving into work outcomes. We can generously praise and express our gratitude to our teams.
Show up with value and generosity consistently
You can build trust with others when they see they can count on you. People learn they can rely on you when your words, actions and attitudes are consistent and when you provide value continuously. Make a plan to deliver on what you promise.
Stick around
In a world where people move from job to job or organization to organization, you’ll create a lasting impact by leading others through longevity. When you stay in an organization over a long period of time, you can develop others. The more time you have in relationships with others, the greater impact you will have. The longer you stay in one place, the greater the opportunity you have to see those under your leadership flourish.