Originally posted June 3, 2010. Reposted May 18, 2011.
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In my Triple-Threat Leadership eBook I talk about three critical skills for leadership: casting vision, creating strategy, and fostering relationships. All leaders are better at one or two of those skills. Although it’s great to maximize the skill(s) you do well, it’s still necessary to improve on the skill(s) you don’t do as well.
Today I’m writing to benefit those who desire to strengthen their relational leadership abilities. Here are a few ideas:
- Take a high-performing team member to lunch and have no agenda except to get to know each other.
- Take a low-performing team member to lunch and have no agenda except to get to know each other.
- Take a walk through your organization just to say “Hi” to your staff.
- Respond to a few “less important” emails personally rather than having your assistant answer them all.
- Invite a team member and his/her family to your home for dinner.
- Do for one what you wish you could do for all. This is a concept called “symbolic leadership” that I learned from Andy Stanley. Here’s an good summary blog post about Stanley’s “symbolic leadership” concept.
The point it this: if you want to become a better relational leader do more to make the people your agenda. When people sense that your plans and your goals are your only agendas they tune out. But when they believe that THEY are your agenda, they tune in.
Go make people your agenda today and see what happens.