Leaders Must Be Present to Win

How many times have you attended an event and purchased raffle tickets to win something of value but with one hitch? You must be present to win. You couldn’t just show up for a little while, leave early and hope to learn or hear something interesting or to engage with someone who might be a mutually beneficial business connection. You had to stay…until the end…because that’s when the winners were announced. Even if you didn’t win a prize, you had a greater opportunity to gain something of value from being there until the very end.

The same thing happens in other aspects of life and work. If you want to gain clients, information, understanding, insight or relationships that are worthwhile, you have to be present to win. You can’t sit in your office and wish it to happen. You have to go someplace, do something, meet someone, invest time and money (time IS money of course) and give of yourself by engaging with others. More importantly, you have to take a risk and give at a level where you stretch beyond how you may feel at the moment or beyond your comfort level.

Several months ago, I led a committee to select one person to attend a week-long training program held at a prestigious school and sponsored by a corporate partner. We selected an individual who we knew would benefit from it and was ready to take the next step in growing her business. Another individual, well deserving, and our second choice, attended the award ceremony, grateful for consideration, and open to learning more. That individual interacted with the corporate partner, expressed interest, and as a result was awarded a slot in the same program, totally unexpectedly. And this training changed the trajectory of her business.

Similarly, I can think of many times when I didn’t feel like attending a networking event, but went anyway, only to connect with a viable business prospect. It also happened in the gym, at business meetings and receptions, waiting for the valet to bring my vehicle and in the lady’s room! When I extended myself to demonstrate interest in others, share information, and provide connections to help meet their needs, I always gained something in return.

Present Leaders
Leaders must be present to win. They must bring their authentic selves to the table and demonstrate an interest in the development and growth of others. Merely having the title of a leader doesn’t make them a good leader. They must stand before their team, engage with them, cast a vision, establish goals and objectives, be transparent about their own developmental needs, coach others to growth and lead the team forward.

Leaders who are present demonstrate the following characteristics.

  1. They show up. They are visible to others at all levels of the organization. They make eye contact with employees instead of simply rushing past them with a serious look on their face and a phone at their ear. They speak to the janitor and the VP alike. People recognize and know them by name, and they know others’ names.  
  2. They engage. They pay attention to the work colleagues are performing, ask questions about the impact, solicit ideas and participate in dialogue and discussion. They recognize contributions and highlight exceptional performance in others. They collaborate on projects and develop relationships in support of a common goal.
  3. They invest.  They purchase memberships, attend conferences, network with people in different industries and areas of expertise, spend time with stakeholders and work long hours. There’s no guarantee of a specific return for time invested in these activities, but they know that their interaction is useful to the entire group.
  4. They commit. They see projects, initiatives and relationships through until the end. Everything they work on may not look productive at the beginning or even in the middle. They may be distracted along the way. But they take the long view, recognizing that there’s growth in the process. They understand teams must move through the forming, storming, norming to performing stages for progressively good results to emerge.

Winning Leaders
Finally, these leaders define winning as a team sport. They are not solely focused on personal gain. They are interested in what benefits others. They realize that it takes a group of people with diverse interests and skill sets, collaborating and spending time together to produce great results. Leaders create the optimal environment for people to interact and share useful information, set a tone of mutual respect for others’ input and encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas … truly being present in the moment. Leaders who go the distance to invest in and gain the most out of their interactions with others, always win.

 

Copyright 2019 Priscilla Archangel
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