Leadership: Building Partnerships With the People You Lead

Effective leaders build partnerships with the people they lead.

Leaders, no matter what their title – Manager, Supervisor, Team Leader, Director, Vice President; or job function – Customer Service, Sales, R&D, IT, Manufacturing, Logistics, Tech Service, Marketing – help the people they lead perform well in their current role and assist them in developing the skills necessary for future opportunities.

It can be tempting for leaders to say “I already have a lot to do.  I don’t have time to do this too”.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  One of the most important leadership responsibilities is helping the people you lead succeed today and prepare for tomorrow.

Strong, supportive partner relationships are the key to successfully leading people.  Strong, supportive partner relationships have several things in common.  They are:

1. Grounded in truth, trust and respect.
2. Focused by a joint purpose.
3. Mutually beneficial.
4. Graceful.

Effective leaders know that truth, trust and respect are difficult to establish and easy to lose.  Such leadership relationships are characterized by open, honest communication, integrity and consideration and courtesy on the part of both parties – leaders and followers.  Mistakes and errors accepted as necessary to and a prerequisite for growth, learning and development.

A joint purpose grounds and aligns all leadership relationships.  Successful leadership relationships have at least three things in common.  They: 1) enhance individual performance and confidence, 2) fix existing performance problems, and 3) develop future leaders.

Effective leader relationships are mutually beneficial.  Leaders should get enjoyment by helping and watching others, learn, grow and develop.  Employees should get valuable feedback, wisdom and advice that puts them beyond their years.  Companies should get high performing, motivated employees and aspiring leaders. 

Finally, successful leadership relationships are graceful.  Both leaders and followers work together as equals, contributing ideas freely.  Things go smoothly – almost effortlessly.  Problems are handled with little upset to the leadership relationship.  They are characterized by empathy; leaders and followers understand and anticipate the needs and concerns of one other.

That’s it for today.  Please log on to my other blog www.CareerSuperStar.com for common sense advice on becoming a leader and the star you are meant to be.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud