[April 07, 2015] Game on! My high school track coach used to tell us that we had to give everything we had everyday to be winners. Each day at practice he would yell “game on,” meaning we were expected to jump into immediate action to prove ourselves worthy to be on the team.
Likewise in leaders, there is the expectation they must prove themselves daily else they find that people will start to tune them out. Leaders who sit back and take the easy approach are those who fail to understand the full nature of leadership.
Three things leaders must do everyday are:
1. Engage people face-to-face to show they care.
2. Reinforce a positive workplace culture through mission support.
3. Provide motivation in incentives, especially through a personal touch.
The impact of leadership fades over time, organizations drift, and people gradually move away from mission roles. Strong leadership reinforces these across the organization. A special emphasis on core values is particularly important to good works guided by quality leaders.
A lesson successful leaders teach us is that we must be fully engaged as often as possible to gain the maximum benefit from leadership. I was not always as engaged as my track coach would have liked, but I’m sure he is pleased that I did learn those lessons he taught my friends and I … “Game on!”