You Remind Me Of Superman: Be A Leader, Not A Boss
“Would
you rather be loved or feared?” Michael Scott,
Regional Manager of the Scranton Branch of the Paper Company Dunder Mifflin,
Inc., answered that age old question. His answer: “Easy, both. I want
people to be afraid of how much they love me.” Perfect.
Though
Michael Scott is a fictional character played by actor Steve Carell on NBC’s The Office, the question he answered
is a very real question that has dogged supervisors, managers and executives
throughout the world. Everyone has their own opinions and, like most
things in life, there is no exact perfect answer (except Michael Scott’s answer
of course).
While
there is no answer to the fear or love question, there are certain qualities
that make you the kind of person people want to work with. These are some
of the qualities that make you a leader of people, and not just a boss:
1.
Integrity. Since 2010, Superhero
movies have grossed over $3.6 billion dollars. Why is that?
Maybe people just want to see Superman explode things with his eyes. My
theory is that people are drawn to heroes, and it is not just the cool
superpowers. People want to see the good guy win and the bad guy lose
(but not before the epic struggle where things get destroyed). Heck,
maybe deep down inside, people probably can relate to the hero and see
themselves as a hero. Each and every hero, whether it be Superman,
Batman, Ironman, Spiderman and even the Hulk, have at least one quality in
common: integrity. They are innately honest and do the right thing.
If you establish yourself as a person of integrity and live by that ideal,
those that work with you or for you will follow suit. This is especially
true if you work in a field that is filled with “moral ambiguity” and gray
areas. If you maintain the highest standard of truth and honesty, you
will position yourself as a moral compass for those trying to navigate their
way through those gray areas.
2.
Communication. Who likes it when
their friends, family or significant other acts sarcastic or in a
passive-aggressive manner towards them? I certainly do not. If I do
something wrong, tell me and I will fix it. How about when you do something
right? Don’t you want someone to say “great job!”? I certainly
do. Communicating with the members of your team is just as important as
maintaining your integrity. That means telling them the good and the
bad. Some managers are great at telling you when you mess up (and
everyone messes up), but never tell you what a great job you are doing when you
are doing a great job. It is important that you speak frankly and
honestly with your team and let them know what they are doing well and what
they are not doing well. What’s more, as people we sometimes forget that
those that are close to us cannot read out minds. We have to set our
expectations and communicate them clearly so everyone is on the same
page. Whenever I meet with a new hire or team mate, I tell them upfront
that I am excited to be working with them and I communicate what is expected of
them. That way, you will never have to hear those dreaded words, “but I
didn’t know you wanted me to do that.”
3.
Confidence. In the same way our
canine companions can sense fear, human beings can sense confidence.
Confident people carry themselves differently than those who lack
confidence. The differences are staggering. Confident people stand
taller, are more calm under pressure, speak loudly and more clearly, and they
take up more space than their counter-parts that lack confidence.
Your team takes their cues from you. If you are calm and confident, they
will feel calm and confident. Confident people inspire those around them and
fill them with certainty and conviction. Ask yourself, would you rather
follow a leader who speaks decisively about the course of action the team will
take, or a person who is unsure and shrugs his shoulders when it comes time to
make decisions? The answer is clear.
4.
Judgment. I do not mean gossiping
about Jack’s terrible haircut. I am referring to the ability to make
informed and considered decisions, become committed to those decisions and,
most importantly, execute and implement those decisions. Decisions are
the first step in taking action. You cannot just want to take action, you
have to decide on your course of action and then take steps in furtherance of
that decision. When faced with more than one path, you have to decide
which path you will take quickly and with certainty. Being able to make
informed and well-reasoned decisions is what separates leaders from
bosses. You cannot be paralyzed by fear of making mistakes. I never
fully grasped the saying “no one is perfect” before I started making real
decisions in my life. Everyone makes mistakes and no decision is 100%
correct and 100% perfectly implemented. There is always room for
improvement, even if that improvement is just a better execution on your
decisions. The only way to develop better judgment is to get out there
and start making some decisions, implementing those decisions and revisiting
those decisions to see if they were successful or not.
5.
Sense of Humor. Did you hear that
one about the guy that walked into the bar? Let’s be serious for a second…
Okay that’s long enough. The workplace is filled with ups and
downs. Missed opportunities and obstacles are intermingled with rewards
for opportunities seized and successes. A keen sense of humor will smooth
out those curves and make the struggles in the workplace more bearable.
Happy people are productive people.
In
closing, whether you are a team of one or manage a team of hundreds of people,
these qualities will make you a more effective leader, inspire those around you
and make you the kind of person that people want to follow. So be honest,
communicate your expectations, be confident, be decisive, and, most
importantly, don’t take life too seriously, you’ll never get out alive!
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