Here is an old anecdote which has been adapted multiple times by many different business speakers and writers over the years. It’s so old that I’m not even sure from whom I first heard it. It could’ve been one of the great early motivational speakers such as Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, Zig Ziglar and Dale Carnegie, or it could very well be from a contemporary leadership guru such as John Maxwell. It tells the story of a salesman (or mechanic, accountant, doctor, office worker, pastor…you get the idea) who was being asked about what kind of business they were in. Instead of stating the professional discipline, such as “I sell insurance,” they said, “I’m in the people business,” which is actually much more accurate a description because if it weren’t for the people they serve, they’d be out of a job. Plus, regardless of their knowledge and skill in their chosen profession, the most important thing they need to be an expert at is dealing with people.
I was reminded of this throughout this week as I had the opportunity to entirely change my schedule because there were people in my ministry who needed someone to take the time to help them deal with life! Going into the week, I had no idea I was going to do this, but looking back, I can see that I ended up exactly where God and the people with whom I met needed me to be. This is part of being a resonant leader. According to emotional intelligence pioneer Daniel Goleman, one of the primal leadership traits that great leaders develop is empathy. This skill can be natural or learned, but is a foundational part of a leader’s ability to connect with the people they serve, which results in all kinds of positive outcomes. Resonant leaders have learned how to listen and genuinely show that they care about the people they lead. Of course, this quality comes through in a number of leadership styles, including authentic leadership and servant leadership. Virtually everyone agrees that Jesus was the greatest example of servant leadership of all time and Fedler states, “Much of Jesus’ ministry had to do with the real, immediate, and physical human needs.” Jesus’ entire purpose was driven by His love for people and the Father’s desire to connect with His children.
Even David Letterman, in his final performance this week, spent a considerable amount of time talking about how much he appreciated the people with whom he worked and he gave credit to everyone who was part of the production team. It showed a side of him that was often lost in the quirkyness of his comedy. I was also reading an article this week that dealt with how important adept use of social media has become to businesses and their leaders. It was stated that the first major benchmark for succeeding today is to have the first 1000 followers for a web page, blog, or other social media platforms. Even in this disconnected world of connectedness, what really still matters is people. Without being able to reach and impact the real lives of people, we are out of business. Remember the old statement: “If a leader doesn’t have anyone following them, they are just out taking a walk!”
So as you go through this next week of leading, make sure that you remember that we’re all in the people business, regardless of what we do or sell.
Lead well.