The lion’s share of business opinion about the “soft side” of leadership – the people side, the values and integrity side, the character side – is that these softer issues are nice and certainly worth some attention, from time to time. However, the fact is that there’s a company to run, and hard quantitative data must drive the central focus of the leader. It is for this reason that an “Office for People” – often called Human Resources – is created. Someone is then hired to worry about the people and the softer issues, leaving the executive wing free to worry about the truly hard things.
I would say this is generally normative, though there are exceptions to this point of view, and the exceptions are rapidly growing in number and influence. In a recent interview, Jet Blue’s CEO stated that he spends 50% of his time on the culture of Jet Blue – 50%! The rest of his time is dedicated to strategy. This mix seems very right.
Without making more of the older view of leadership’s soft side, let’s make a quick review of why the people, culture, and values side is so important, and (actually) very hard.
- I’ve made the point again and again. People make the difference in a business. True competitive advantage lies with people. Building a culture where an “owner’s mind” is carried by most employees produces rock star performance in the marketplace. A human being won’t adopt an owner’s mind if treated like a commodity, or a cog, or piece of inanimate resource.
- People have the nagging habit of smelling out the truth of whether their lives are truly valued. A leader who wants his or her people to know they are highly valued actually needs to highly value them. This can’t be contracted out to the “people space” in the company, and it certainly can’t be faked. The hard thing about valuing people is that it must be authentic – it must live in the heart of the leader as an actual passion.
- Trustworthiness is the sine qua non of highly impactful leadership. Trustworthiness is the fruit of character. Character is the fruit of a life of caring, integrity, courage, honesty, and humility. A leader who wants to be trustworthy is a person who must be growing on the inside of their lives, in the secret places of their heart, behind closed doors when no one is looking – at home, at church, in the neighborhood, on the highway when another motorist cuts them off, and in the restaurant when the steak arrives over-broiled.
Frances Hesselbein loved to say this: “Leadership begins with who you are, not what you do.” Growing as real, loving, wise, trustworthy, and generous human beings is essential. We can’t relegate this part to consultants and annual retreats. We must own it as leaders, and live it every day.
To be sure, hitting the numbers is critical. In no wise conversation is this a debate. However, the professional and technical skills needed to run a business are often times easier to master than personal and human skills. Managing temper, ego, impatience, disappointment, fear, desire, and longing require ever so much more from us than managing numbers, budgets, and timelines.
A few suggestions:
- Make sure you are eating the breakfast of champions, which is feedback. Chances are that people who are hired by people are afraid to tell the truth to the people who sign their paycheck. Find ways to insist on hearing from people. Confidential 360’s on yourself, continuous pleading for feedback, and demonstrations that you take feedback seriously are key.
- Hire a coach or a mentor. The best have coaches; it’s true in sports, and it’s true in leadership. Engage a coach who you trust to talk straight to you, one who gets the importance of “who you are” vs. “what you do.”
- Practice quiet. A person can’t grow in constant busyness and noise. The inside shrivels if you never get quiet. Meditate. Pray. Walk slowly in the park. Sit alone. Retreat monthly for a few hours in a monastery. Figure something out that will work for you.
- Find a trustworthy friend or two, safely away from work, with whom you can let your spiritual hair down. Tell them the truth. Laugh with them. Ask them about their lives. Admit where things hurt. Ask them to hold you to the higher pathway in your life.
As a leader, your board isn’t asking you how your inner growth is coming along. And it’s likely not on your performance review. You must take this matter into your own hands, and ensure it is front and central to your consideration. You are free and authorized to do this, and needn’t wait for someone else to tell you it’s important. Exercise leadership over yourself, and ensure you are investing in the growth resources and mindset you need to become the caring, authentic, and trustworthy manager your workforce deserves.