Skip to main content

Technology in leadership

Is technology undermining your leadership?  Do you use it so much that you've lost the personal touch?  Can you really have a personal relationship with someone only over the internet?  Are you certain that wonderful, sensitive soul you've connected with online isn't doing 20 to life in the penitentiary?  But, I digress...
At some point, you have to talk and touch and feel people.  Do you know what motivates the people you lead?  My children are very different.  When they were little, and being naughty, I could stop the oldest in her tracks with a stern look.  The youngest, however... if she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her.  Why do I mention this?  Because they are motivated differently.  The oldest is a people pleaser, the youngest, not so much.  This is information that could never be learned in an e-mail.  This is also true with those around you.  It's nearly impossible to learn someone's motivation if you don't have a personal relationship with them.  I'm not saying that you need to be their new best friend, but you need to connect with them on some personal level.  It may be cliche, but the old adage "they don't care what you know until they know that you care" rings true when you are in any type of leadership role.  Those that you lead need to know that you care for their success, not just your own.  When was the last time you personally connected with those you lead?  Has it been a while?  It's time to step away from your computer and pick up the phone.  Just be sure to introduce yourself - they may not recognize your voice.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

People test

"If you do not pass the people test, nothing else matters. Promotion without connectivity is destructive. I often share with church leaders that most of the churches in the United States should not promote themselves. Why? Simple. If your current membership is not actively inviting people or visitors are not staying, there are reasons why. If you do an advertising campaign, you are asking people to come in your doors only to realize why no one wants to invite anyone to your church. They never come back and leave to tell all their friends what they did not like about your church. This is not good marketing. The heart of marketing is people. Don’t start with mailers. Start with people. Ask yourself, “What am I doing this week to learn how to reach people more effectively? It's time to evaluate. Are we creating an atmosphere that fosters growth or are we ministering unto ourselves?" http://www.beyondrelevance.com/index.cfm/PageID/913/blog_year/2010/blog_month/2/index.html...

Volunteers

I've heard many in leadership lamenting about the lack of volunteers.  If you lead a church or other non-profit, or are in direct sales, you lead an army of volunteers.  Sometimes, your volunteers will not hit you over the head with their willingness to serve.  Sometimes, they will.  Are you ready to mentor them in their volunteer position so that they will be successful?  Do you follow through with them while enthusiasm is high?  I think we all believe we do. About two years ago, I volunteered with a non-profit in the Quad Cities area.  It took several weeks just to be able to get through to the correct person to volunteer my services with.  I was invited to attend an open meeting, where I spoke of the service that I was willing to provide.  Although there was much agreement that my service would be a great addition to the service they were providing, and several follow up calls on my part, I never was given the opportunity to volunteer. A...

Integrity

Integrity - adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. Sometimes when people are in the spotlight, the details are difficult to see. Like stage actors, their costumes may appear to be beautifully tailored, but in reality, may be hot-glued together. Like a politician holding up family values, while taking care of a pregnant mistress. Like a leader, recruiting for company B while dishonestly collecting a leadership check from company A. We put people on pedestals and sing their praises, but do we really know who they are? Do their actions really go with the hype? If you are a leader, ask yourself, "Are my actions moral, ethical and honest?"