The last two posts have discussed the subject of being a selfless leader. Introducing this IDEA, the basic concept is “selfless leaders put others first.” In the first post I outlined how selfless leaders are sacrificial in how they lead the people whom they are privileged to lead. The second post discussed how selfless leaders are always on the lookout for opportunities to elevate their team members and put them in the spotlight while stepping aside so that others may receive the attention and recognition instead of themselves. In this part of the series, let’s focus on the third distinguishing behavior of a truly selfless leader:
They always encourage their team members, whether in private, publicly, face-to-face, electronically, or through social media. Selfless leaders always build others up, never putting down or calling out members of their team in order to enforce their positional power or to cover for their own feelings of inadequacy or fear.
Far more than this post allows can be written on this behavior, but let’s focus on just the first part, “They (selfless leaders) always encourage their team members.” Note that I didn’t say that they encourage when it’s strategic, or when it’s easy, or just in private, but always. Great team members need to know that they are wanted, respected, and valued. If they ever, even for a moment, feel otherwise, they start walking down the path which leads them to eventually take their talents elsewhere. It doesn’t matter how much money they are paid, or what perks come with the job – to keep great team members, they must be consistently encouraged by the one they follow. In the book Creating Magic (2008), by Lee Cockerell, former executive vice president of operations for Walt Disney World Resort, he states, “When people feel valued for the talents and skills they bring to the team, their level of commitment soars.”
Throughout the last 50 years or so, the topic of leadership has been a continual topic of discussion, and there have been many great examples of leaders who knew how to motivate their teams to excellence through training, accountability, goal setting, recognition, and encouragement. An incomplete list of those leaders includes Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, Zig Ziglar, T.D. Jakes, and many more. Another example also comes to mind – someone who has devoted his leadership life to “adding value to everyone” with whom he comes in contact. Of course this is John Maxwell, one of the top leadership experts of our time. Through the many books of his I have read, and the times I have heard him speak, I know that he lives out the concept of always encouraging his team, and anyone else in the room. Maxwell reminds us in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (1998) that “You can’t move people to action unless you first move them with emotion. The heart comes before the head.” I would add that you won’t have a chance to move the head if the heart isn’t encouraged first. That’s why selfless leaders must always encourage, and then their follower will do as Maxwell states: “rise to our level of expectation.”
Cockerell states, “…you can’t achieve true excellence unless you attract great people, develop great people, and keep great people.” Selfless leaders understand that a key requirement for keeping great people is to encourage at all times. It’s not only good for the team, it’s good for the team member. Everyone needs to know that they are wanted, respected, and valued – particularly by the leader they follow.
Lead well.
Selfless Leadership © 2014. John Plastow. All rights reserved.