As a leader, why does valuing your team matter? John Maxwell stated, “the only way it keeps leaders from misusing, abusing, manipulating people is that they value the people they lead.” If you desire to experience utopia in your organization or team, focus on valuing those you lead. Why is this important because when you value those you lead, you will add value to them, and they will in turn add value to your clients or those you serve. This is utopia at its highest.
Here are three ways to value those you lead:
- Appreciation – when you show appreciation it increases morale and engagement. What have you said or done to show your team you appreciate their hard work and effort? Appreciation is not grounded in when the team achieves certain metrics, but it is grounded in authentic appreciation for them as people. Then meeting metrics becomes inevitable when you have a team that knows they are appreciated!
- Genuinely Listen – when you take time to genuinely listen to your team’s ideas, thoughts, and feedback you will open up the channel of communication. The channel of honest and candid feedback can create opportunities for greater collaboration while building camaraderie. Therefore, listen with a concerned heart and a mindset seeking to understand.
- Recognition – when you value those you lead it goes beyond a transactional approach to leading, but it is about recognition for their effort and hard work. Learn to recognize the gifts and skills that they bring to the team or organization and how their gifts and skills best serve the team. It is putting an emphasis on a person’s valuable contribution and self-worth.
Questions to consider:
What ways do you appreciate your team?
Do you genuinely take time to listen or are you focused on instructing the team?
What ways do you recognize your team’s hard work and effort that’s not tied to them achieving a metric?
In conclusion, valuing others matters and more importantly those you lead. Valuing people is about recognizing and appreciating the inherent worth and contributions of individuals, both personally and professionally. It involves treating others with respect, empathy, and fairness, and acknowledging their unique skills, perspectives, and efforts. When leaders value their team members, they create an environment of trust, inclusion, and empowerment, engagement, and collaboration. If you need assistance or support as a leader, feel free to reach out to E3 Leadership Institute, (www.e3leadershipinstitute.com) we are here to serve you. Inspiring leaders to be their best selves!