If you’re a leader, it’s good to remember that people are watching you in ways that you can’t avoid.
Bobby Herrera, a business leader and author of, The Gift of Struggle, writes this:
“As a leader, everyone watches and listens to you, ready to make judgments. When there’s a gap between what you say and what you do, it undermines your integrity, making it harder for people to trust you.”
So, it’s important to consider how you show up for your team or company and remember all the ways that you build confidence and trust in those around you.
The traits you want to be known for are impressively simple: They include
· non-verbal behaviors, like making eye contact with everyone
· Including someone in a discussion by saying, “Come join us. We were talking about…”
· Giving feedback in both a constructive and reassuring tone, and
· Responding with candor and empathy in conversations.
As a leader, people look to you to learn how to carry themselves, how to treat people, how to respond under pressure, or deal with new and difficult situations.
Early in my TV news career, I would occasionally eavesdrop over my newsroom cubicle and listen to the way that Jayne Miller, a veteran reporter, asked questions and listened with respect and then got people to agree to talk with her on camera. Jayne never knew how much I learned from her example.
Even people whose names you may not even know, know who you are. And, they will pattern their behavior after yours. As a leader, this matters because the people watching you are crucial to your organization’s success. You cannot do it alone.
Or as Bobby Herrera writes, “The trust people have in you is the most important asset you will ever own. It’s either a headwind or a tailwind that will make or break your company and your ability to lead.”