Are you blind to their hearts?
What do you see when you look at your team? Do you see incompetence? Laziness? Procrastination? Tardiness? Or do you see what is in front of you?
I am talking about what shines from the heart of your team. Do you take the time to know your team so you can identify their “heart?”
Incompetence – does their lack of ability to do a job come from not having proper training? Have you, as the leader, given them all the tools they need to do their job and do it well. Have you had the conversation with them about why they are struggling and how you can help them exceed? Without the proper tools and training you are setting them up for failure.
Laziness – a team member’s inclination to not do work or engage in activities can stem from a million reasons other than the task at hand. Are they feeling isolated on the team? Is there an issue going on outside of work that is impacting their productivity? Have you had the conversation to see how you as the leader can help?
Procrastination – is the task at hand overwhelming to them? Do they have the skill set to accomplish the task? Are they being challenged enough so they procrastinate because they are bored? Have you had the conversation with them to get to the root of the issue?
Tardiness – habitual lateness that could be the sign of being overwhelmed too. Is there the fear of doing a task and not doing it correctly so feet get dragged and deadlines get missed? Or is it a complication with child care outside of work, or an obligation at home that makes them late? Have you had the conversation with them to see if you can help by flexing their schedule, lightening the work load or assigning them a mentor?
Did you notice the underlying theme was did you have the conversation. When a leader sees the “heart” of their team, they are taking time to get to know them, to know what drives them and to make a personal connection to them. They look into the heart of their team to find out what makes them tick, and in doing so find out what drives them. As a leader, once you know your team, and have that connection and “see” their true heart, you will build a stronger, successful, positive team. Don’t ever be afraid as a leader to let YOUR heart show, and to love your team!
Until next time,
Anne
