Like many businesses,
mine is all about relationships and networks. I’ve learned over the last few
months that part of my responsibility as a leader includes the capacity to be a
librarian. We each have a responsibility to communicate effectively with a variety
of styles and personality types in our day-to-day activities. The librarian
role is more comprehensive than this, though.
As leaders, incumbent on
us is the responsibility to motivate, connect with and inspire an equally wide
variety of people. I have leaders in my organization who think and operate very
differently from me. I consider this a tremendous asset as they will connect
with people and networks that I would have a very hard time tapping into
myself. Like me, I’m sure they are tempted to limit their learning, exposure
and networking to people who are “like” them – we all do that because it’s
comfortable and we don’t have to work as hard when we are in the company of
people who “just get it”. What we really mean is: “People who think, operate
and learn like I do.” This mindset takes a dangerous turn when we become
satisfied with building teams and businesses that are limited to our
personality or methods.
Having a distinct and
defined culture is vitally important. Having repeatable systems is equally important.
But if we bring this uniformity and consistency into our PRACTICES instead of
letting it guide us on PRINCIPLE, we will end up with inbred, superior and
small-minded organizations. A librarian knows about most any topic. From behind
thick-rimmed glasses, she is able to successfully guide anyone searching for
information to exactly what they are looking for – regardless of her own
interest level in the topic. In like manner, our commitment to diversifying our
exposure, information and communication styles will allow us to lead a wider
variety of leaders, who in turn can lead an equally wide variety of people.
I want to be able to
match a leader who learns differently from me with exactly the leadership
training material that will allow him to explode into his potential, even if I
thought the book was only ok.
I want to be able to be
a valuable resource for anyone wanting information, even if I’m not connecting
with the topic on a personal level.
I want to have a bigger
view of my business than the one I can see through my own eyes. At the end of
the day, I am not only responsible to know what works for me; I’m responsible
to know what works for everyone I lead – including me.
We lead by example.
Don’t set a narrow standard when it comes to what you allow to teach you,
inform you and communicate with you. It’s our responsibility to be able to lead
people who are like us as well as those who aren’t.
Lean forward,
Bekka