Leading Everyday - Does your team reflect you?

One of my all-favorite moments as a father happened at our church. I was in the foyer, and a church lady friend looked at me, looked over at my daughter, and commented how much she looked like me. I just smiled. My wife, who was near me, smiled, and a young lady friend of the family also heard the comment and smiled.

Our church lady friend didn’t realize my daughter was not my biological daughter. That’s why we were all smiling. I raised my daughter since she was two years old. Inevitably, my daughter will take some of my characteristics as the nurturing dad I have been over the last 13 years.

The experience got me thinking about my leadership role at work. The question that came to mind was, do my employees reflect who I am? Who do I want them to be as professionals? Am I nurturing them so that interactions are positive when they interact with clients and colleagues and with a spirit of service?

While I have consciously and intentionally tried to ensure that the questions above are a resounding “Yes!” As leaders, we have to make sure that we have a plan and drive that plan to ensure that our team members reflect us and, inevitably, themselves in the most positive way. Below are three practical things that you can plan to do with your team members:

Invest time – Investing time with your employees is critical to developing a relationship with them and ensuring they reflect your values and attributes. But not just your values and details but also those of your employer.

Your employer has a culture they want to create in the organization, and as a leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that the culture is permeated throughout your team.

One practical thing you can do as a leader is set up recurring one-on-one with each team member. This is an opportunity to talk to your team members and get to know them not just at a professional level but also at a personal level.

Training – dollar investments must be made in training. Not just technical training but soft skill training, for example, how to deliver best-in-class service to customers.

Investment in training reflects your philosophy as a manager that you care for your employees' well-being and that you are invested in their growth and development.

When employees see that you are genuinely invested in their personal development, they will also be invested in you as a leader.

Suggest Readings – I like reading about many different topics. Everything from leadership to fiction, you name it, I want to read it.

Leaders should encourage their team members to read about various topics. Some might want to read more than others because of time constraints.

I suggest encouraging team members to at least read abstracts on topics they enjoy. Abstracts are book summaries and give you the most important message the book is trying to convey.

If your team takes the time to read, it can develop many attributes, i.e., tolerance and open-mindedness, which will help them perform their job with a renewed purpose.

So, what are you doing as a leader to ensure your team reflects who you are?