A Sweaty Palm Definition of Success
My palms get sweaty when I read, “We measure success by the way we touch the lives of people.”**
Aim at nothing – you hit it. I feel a need to define my aspirations concerning the way I touch the lives of people.
How will I touch the lives of people when:
- Projects stall.
- Performance exceeds expectation.
- Problems emerge unexpectedly.
- Performance reviews are discussed. (I sincerely hope you have stopped wasting time on traditional performance reviews.)
- Opportunities arise.
- Meetings are convened.
- Tough conversations are required.
New responsibility:
Does it make your palms sweaty to assume responsibility for the way you touch the lives of people? I hope so.
Results aren’t human.
Responsibility for delivering results feels easier if you exclude responsibility for touching lives. When numbers are all that matters, people become numbers.
Touching lives:
Can you answer these awkward questions?
- What are your team member’s aspirations?
- How do you want people to feel about themselves?
- How are people finding fulfillment in their responsibilities and roles?
- How do people know their contribution to organizational mission and vision?
- What are you doing to develop people?
- What do you know about your team member’s families?
- What makes your teammates proud?
The above questions feel awkward when leaders neglect people at the expense of results.
New challenge:
I hate to use the word “feelings.” It feels weak. But, touching lives includes feelings.
Leaders who touch lives understand emotional results.
Successful leaders have teams who feel:
- Respected.
- Trusted.
- Optimistic.
- Confident.
- Inspired.
- Challenged.
- Responsible.
- Informed.
- Included.
- Fulfilled.
- Inspired.
- Powerful.
Leaders who touch lives have teams who produce results.
What happens in your thinking if you define success by the way you touch the lives of people?
**This post is inspired by “Everybody Matters,” by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia
Bob is Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a combination of nearly 70 acquired companies valued at approximately $2 billion with 9,000 employees.
Book website: www.everybodymattersbook.com
Twitter: @barrywehmiller
Being a school teacher I think I was a bit heavy handed in keeping up with the growth and hopes for my own employees. My ex once told me I was the only manager who had three page long thank you laters with my two week notices, and hugs and birthday presents from employees of the past I had terminated. My goal was to fill my employees with self-fulfillment even from the most unlikely place of retail.
Thanks Shop. Three pages!! Wow!! I’d take a paragraph.
Ya no joke, lots of paragraphs, but there was one envelope waiting for me one cold winter morning that was stuffed full with that three page letter, it was quite rewarding. 🙂
Isn’t is sad (though true) that we often feel “weak” when we mention the importance of feelings in the business world? There’s real shame and resistance to admitting someone has been impacted your emotions in a way that makes us feel “less than.”
Brene Brown (of the famous Ted talk on Vulnerability) said that she had to fight a lot of internal resistant to talk about shame, vulnerability, and non-anger emotions in her research conclusions since the academic world self-perceives itself as being apart from their study subjects and thus you better come across as aloof if you want to be taken seriously.
I say fuck that. Be honest or go home and hide away with your secrets, shame, and “professional” disconnection.
Thanks James. I wanted to soften the blow of that sentence. But, it’s the truth. Something in me says, feelings don’t matter. Just go do your work. But, I hear a louder voice now.
As time is passing, the power of leading with heart is obvious! Being aloof only weakens leaders.
Great post and especially (for me) a great graphic!!! To build the trusting relationships that optimize feeling great and contributing to growth, we not only have to provide the opportunities for development; we must then release them to enable their creativity.
Dan as a retired CFO, I always say “It’s not about the Numbers!”. It is about people and their relationships, good or bad. This is true in all the organizations I have been affiliated with: private smaller firms, large public companies and even not for profits. And understanding and working with people is still much more complex than the numbers!
Brad
Brad James http://www.bradszootales.com
Great post Dan, very timely and applicable for me to read this today. This is a great depiction of the kind of leader I am striving to become. Thanks for painting the picture so clearly!!
This comment, “Leaders who touch lives understand emotional results.” got me thinking about Brené Brown’s thoughts around emotion. She believes that in order to change your results, changing your thinking isn’t enough as thinking, behaviour and emotion are inextricably linked and I tend to agree. In order to change your results, you need to understand the emotions, thinking and behaviours. Touch all three and you’ll change the results. Focus on only one and you’ll stay stuck.
My favourite quote from this article sums it all up for me: Leaders who touch lives have teams who produce results.