Stewardship is demonstrated by taking responsibility and accountability. The leader's role is to be accountable to the members of the team through leading by example and removing barriers.
Accountability is accepting the outcomes of an initiative, good or bad. As servant-leaders, we must take responsibility for ourselves and the actions and performance of the team. You need your team more than it needs you. As leaders, we are compensated for the performance of our team good or bad. If the team fails, we fail. Our job as leaders is to remove barriers and roadblocks to secure the team's success. The team's success is our measuring stick. Consider the obstacles that are creating difficulty for the team. Identify solutions for the obstacles and how to remove them. So how do we practice stewardship? It begins with leading by example.
Leading By Example
To lead by example, we must be responsible for our actions. We must set the example for others to follow. Then we must follow the same rules, policies, and regulations we have required of the team. For example, the supervisor cannot like a post on social media and performance management a team member for the same activity. Also, on the implementation of a strict travel provision, the leader cannot stay at the swankiest hotel in the city or initiate strict spending and purchase a luxury car. Do any leaders immediately come to your mind? How does it make you feel? Aggravated? Angry? Frustrated? If that statement stings, take a look in the mirror, think about your actions, and make changes.
Guess what? Your team feels the same way when you don't lead by example.
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| Think before you act. All of our actions can impact our team. Keep in mind that you are on stage and your team is watching. The higher your position, the bigger your stage. The do-as-I-say-and-notas-I-do mentality is damaging to the morale of the team and damages your credibility as the leader. This double standard by the leader demoralizes the team and can become destructive. The team will feel a loss of the empathy and respect that you are trying to convey. Think of your team as having a savings account. All of the trust, active listening, relationship building, etc. are small deposits into an account. Over time, you have a solid partnership and a nice nest egg with your team. Each time you fail to lead by example causes a withdraw from the account. The amount of the withdrawal is determined by the actions of the leader. Betraying or perceived betrayal will result in large withdrawals leaving nothing in the account. |
The result is you have lost the privilege to manage the team. Yes, leadership is a privilege. It is an honor for a team to instill their trust in you to lead them. This privilege is not to be taken lightly. We are obligated to covet that trust by setting the best example and always having the team's best interest in mind. Through leading by example, we demonstrate to our team what is possible and begin practicing what we are preaching. Our teams begin thinking that our initiatives are possible to achieve because the leader is also doing them. Leading by example is one of the secrets to getting team members to follow you. It is a small gesture that yields big returns and deposits into the team's virtual savings account. Over time, the team will follow you anywhere. Leading by example can easily be applied to your leadership in several ways:
- Be willing to do anything you would ask of others.
- Follow the rules as closely as you expect your team members to follow.
- Be cautious not to interrupt any team member, especially if you are critical of someone else interrupting.
- If you allow the team to leave early, then you should also leave early. The team will feel guilty if you stay and finish the work.
Take a moment and think about your leadership style, your values, and your actions. Consider if you need to make any adjustments.
Accepting Responsibility
"Great leaders bear responsibility as immoral leaders show blame".
Placing blame is often seen in leadership positions. When things go south, individuals are ready to point fingers and isolate the individual or thing that caused the issue. This is the easy route. It's much easier to point out someone and place blame. Recognize that this is a detriment to everyone including the leadership you are attempting to establish. The blamed individual will feel betrayed by you, which will impact the trust you are developing as we will later learn. If we blame the process, the individual who created the process will feel betrayed. What does placing blame represent? It signifies that the leader wasn't as prepared as one could have been. Think about that for a moment. At the point when you point a finger at somebody, there are three fingers pointing back at you. Don't place blame; accept responsibility. A responsible leader says, "I am the one who must make it happen." The leader will take the time to prepare and evaluates the needs of the team. This is demonstrated through several actions of the individual.
The leader takes responsibility for the actions good or bad of the team. We share the shortcomings of the team and have action plans in place to manage through obstacles. With any missed initiatives, blame is not placed. In leading a team, leaders will relinquish the just-one-of-the-team position and rise to the leader position by setting direction and expectations for the group. This is shown by their separation from the team. You no longer go on lunches or friendly ventures outside of work. You rise to manage the problems and remove barriers. Leaders manage everyone with equality and integrity. Stepping up and accepting responsibility can be viewed as an advantage. It is an opportunity for you to showcase our skills and abilities. If we accept blame, we then have a chance to show how we can manage in the face of adversity or through a crisis. This will advance your team, your initiatives, and your leadership reputation. As you lead by example for accepting responsibility and accountability, you will see a change in the culture of your team. Your team members take ownership for outcomes. They also accept responsibility for their own actions and the job they perform. Collaboration is embraced and the team functions on a higher level. Through stewardship, you have evolved your leadership and the team.
Motivation and Persuasion
Persuasion is a fundamental and essential proficiency of leadership. It is not by ill intention or manipulation. Consider persuasion as your ability to lead people in a specific direction on your behalf, regardless of your formal authoritative position. Through persuasion, your leadership must appeal to a diverse group of individuals. You must make rational arguments and develop reasonable solutions. To persuade your audience, you must first know your audience. Who is your audience? We convey a different message when addressing different classes or professions. Consider the occupation. If you are persuading a clinical professional, you will focus the conservation on a medically related approach. With a mechanic or engineer, you will relate the topic to their unique occupational tasks. Know your audience and speak their language.
What's in it for me?
The number one message to communicate to an audience is the benefit of following the initiative you are conveying. The benefit must be tangible or something they can see or touch. What does the team get? Why should they follow? Think about the initiatives from all angles. Some benefits could include the following:
- Reduction in process steps
- Elimination of duplicate work
- Creating automated process to eliminate manual work
- Freeing up time for more desirable activities
- Improving safety records
- Status and recognition
These are just a few examples of potential benefits. There are millions of benefits. We must know our team members to know our best angle of persuasion. Knowing our team begins with knowing what motivates them.
Motivation represents the passion for the drive. Motivation is demonstrated by the need to raise the bar and the status quo continuously. Your motivation to develop leadership is demonstrated today through reading this book. Individuals like you are viewed as having high work standards, goaloriented, and committed to continuous professional development. Motivation is contagious. People naturally surround themselves with like-minded people. You are in good company. To motivate your team for performance, you must understand your team and leverage the individual's engagement. Team engagement manifests by the team member's commitment to the organization's goals or values, the commitment to the success of the company, and the commitment to do their best every day. Each team member will have a different level of engagement, which may vary based on the current initiative.
Roughly, about 28 percent of disengaged team members leave a company, while only 4 percent are highly engaged. Many times, leaving is not financially driven. Consider the impact of having to replace an individual:
- increased workload
- downtime
- training for the new staff
- potential for fragmented care or failure to manage patients properly
- patients stop following treatment plans
Your opportunity is to leverage your leadership skills to drive engagement within your team. We start by meeting the team members where they are and identifying the three levels of engagement:
Highly engaged:
Think superstars' individuals who think about the job outside of working hours and don't consider the job "work." These individuals generally make your job easier. They are open to change and innovation. They are always working towards the end goal and looking for opportunities of growth.
Engaged:
Think solid performers individuals who consistently provide good work. Engaged individuals are essential for every team. These are the worker bees. These individuals are happy to do their jobs and do not desire additional responsibility. They are followers of the direction you set rather than active participants in evolving the model.
Disengaged:
Think individuals who are not aligned with the position, team, mission, etc. high-maintenance individuals, underperformers, etc. They can drag the team down. Many times, they require much of your attention and management. These individuals can distract the team from the end goal, create chaos, and increase team drama. This instills uncertainty in your team.
Where does most of your team fall? Generally, 10 percent will be highly engaged, 80 percent engaged, and 10 percent disengaged. To leverage engagement, you must know where you currently stand with your team. Ask for their honest feedback without reciprocity. It is vital to your growth as their leader. You will know where you need to adjust your shortcomings and focus on personal growth. Instill on the team the importance to provide you feedback as their leader. Reward the team for feedback. Keep in mind the partnership and growing together.
To engage the team, you must do so through a cultural change, not creating a program. Programs simply result in your superstars continuing to thrive as the unengaged continue with status quo. A motivated individual will work hard when there is something in it for them, while an engaged one will work hard for the sake of the company. Every leader has the vision of creating a workplace that will draw in new team members due to the desirable environment. Respect represents recognition, empowerment, supportive feedback, partnership, expectations, consideration, and trust.
Recognition:
Each team member desires to do a good job and be acknowledged for his or her commitment to the team. This will reinforce to the team the preferred behavior. Know your individual's preferred venue for recognition. Many, but not all, welcome being recognized in front of other team members, however. Individuals with underlying social anxiety will shy away and be embarrassed by public recognition. This could impede their future actions on goals. By knowing your team member, you will know their preferred venue of recognition.
Empowerment:
Install in your team the trust to make decisions and function independently. You must support them through this avenue regardless of the decision made, and be mindful of micromanagement, ensuring that your team feels supported and will develop the confidence needed to make stronger decisions without questioning themselves. Delegate tasks that will showcase their unique skills.
Supportive Feedback:
Your job is to communicate feedback to the team to facilitate growth and the understanding of the goals and initiatives. Note that this feedback is supportive. The team members must receive the information as a personal growth opportunity, not a punitive one. Everyone is unique. You must identify the appropriate tone and structure of the conversation to instill the feedback without damaging the relationship.
Partnership:
Leaders are partners with our team, not bosses. You are moving toward the same goal with slightly different jobs. You push each other to excel in your role and win as a team. You leverage transparency of ensuring the team is in the know of the current happenings.
Expectations
Are the defined goals that support the company's mission. As mentioned in the communication section, you must be clear in our expectations. The expectations should be clearly communicated and in writing to limit confusion of the team. You must also reinforce the expectations to keep the team on task and know the immediate prioritization. Vague expectations lead to underperforming teams and a poor reflection of your leadership.
Considerations:
Giving careful thought of how to interact with an individual. Leverage your emotional intelligence skills, and understand the position of each individual as it is rooted in his or her personality. Team members will feel you care for them and feel respected. Ask for the input of the individual doing the specific process before making changes that directly impact his or her daily activities. There is a high probability that they will provide you valuable feedback on how to gain efficiency. Make sure they know you have their best interest in mind and not checking up on them performing the job.
Trust
Is a common theme throughout this book, which should impress on you the value of trust of your team within your leadership role. This is the most pivotal element of any leader. It is the ability to make a good leader great and a mediocre leader fail. Know where you currently stand with your team and ask for their feedback. It is vital to your growth as their leader. You will know where you need to adjust your shortcomings and focus on personal growth. Instill on the team the importance to provide you feedback as their leader, and stress the aspect of rewarding the team for feedback. Keep in mind the partnership and growing together.