For years, I played “not to lose” when running our company instead of “playing to win”. I wanted to believe my employees did not see the difference. In fact, I thought I could offset my tendencies by encouraging them to swing for the fences in their respective roles. I had my head in the sand. Not only did everyone recognize my conservative nature but they responded accordingly.
A few years ago, I changed and became much more aggressive in my approach. Without me saying a word, people immediately recognized the shift and they, too, began playing to win. The results have been exceptional, both in performance of the business and, more importantly, the attitude of our team.
The “fishbowl” of leadership demands that you set the tone for the organization through your words and actions. You cannot behave one way and expect others to act differently. Nor can you delegate your role as leader to someone else. If you want the people in your organization to move in a certain direction, you cannot point them…you must display the courage to step out in front and lead them.
Be intentional about it…
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