People Are Always Listening (and Learning)

What if the people you lead could only grow based on what they heard you say to others? What if people adopted the mood and outlook of your Facebook or Twitter posts? What if your teammates learned about your leadership philosophy not by what you said to them but by what you said to others when you thought no one else was listening?

Leading others is a lot like parenting others. It’s as rewarding as it is demanding. There are no “days off.” And we teach not so much by instruction as we do by modeling, by demonstrating, and by the words we say not directly to the people we lead, but around them and about others. Every had a child repeat something they learned in the “back seat” that you’d wished they hadn’t heard you say?

If you I make a habit of speaking negatively, my team will think negatively.

If I make a habit of gossiping, my team will create and repeat gossip.

If I share negative or sarcastic things on social media, my team will think I’m in favor of negative and sarcastic attitudes.

You get the picture. You may say this is all common sense, and it is. But it’s also a reminder that many of us – including myself – can stand to benefit from. We must hold ourselves accountable. We are the ones who set the standards, not by what we decree from the corner office, but by what we say and allow in our everyday conversations.

I recently saw a quote on LinkedIn that said, “Being positive in a negative situation is not naive. It’s leadership.” Isn’t that the truth!

How are you leading others today?


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