An interesting question that brings up a variety of memories is: Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
This question causes us to consider all of the things that made that teacher memorable.
I frequently think of my favorite teachers at work. The same process occurs.
My first favorite teacher at work was named Murray. At the time I was 19 years old, going to college full-time, and working full-time at a business-to-business service company. Murray was the VP of Finance. I was just a kid but ended up working on special projects for Murray.
Murray was an old guy. He was 32 at the time. I laugh and cry at the fact that I once thought someone 32 was old.
Murray called me into his office and would say things like, “I just got into a fight with the VP of Sales. Here is what it was about. What do you think?”
Murray was a wise ‘old man.’ By taking the time to do this he showed he cared. He put himself in the role of teacher. He got a good picture of how my brain worked. Murray let me know he was human as he complained about the VP of Sales. He ensured I understood the culture he wanted to promote. Murray also created an atmosphere where I could initiate a conversation with him as well.
Now, why did Murray take the time with a 19 year old punk? Well, he cared. He really cared about my growth.
Allan Quary, said on twitter – “If you don’t care about other people’s dreams, please don’t bother pretending that you are their leader.”
Caring is one thing. You really do need to care. You don’t need me to tell you that. Showing you care though is another matter. It’s easy to get too busy. A few ideas for showing you care:
- Spend time with people individually. Just be human. We already know you’re the boss. We may not be sure you’re a real person.
- Ask about people’s goals and dreams. If they can’t yet articulate them, help.
- Share info that relates to a person’s goals and dreams. This might be an article on presentations if the person wants to become a thought leader, etc.
How do you show you care about your team members’ dreams?
To do this week: Create a table in Word or Excel and record the goals and dreams of each person on your team.
