Last night, something dumb happened to me at work.
Apparently, a supervisor was sent to help keep track of all the extra volume that was coming in. He used to have my job so he thought he'd help me out. He gave me what I thought were suggestions on how to manage things. When I didn't do them, I got an enormous lecture on what a dirt bag supervisor I was. (Even though my area did pretty well despite some big obstacles).
What he did wrong:
1) He did nothing to establish rapport with me. He came in "guns a-blazin."
2) He made it clear that I was there for him, and not the other way around.
3) He never tried to understand the methods and procedures we already had in place.
4) He never explained to me the importance of what I was doing, or how it fit in to the grand scheme.
5) He never gave me a clearly-defined set of duties and responsibilities, and faulted me for my lack of understanding (and caring!).
How to be a good leader: do the opposite of those things.
1) Try to establish rapport and goodwill with your fellow workers.
2) One of the best ways to establish goodwill is by being a servant and letting people know that it is your job to make them successful.
3) Work to understand what is already in place--if it ain't broke, don't monkey with it. If it is broken, then involve your people in brainstorming a solution.
4) Sell the job. Let people know they are making a big impact. Make people aware of where they fit in with the big picture. Let them know the results that their work is producing.
5) Let people know exactly what's expected of them, and how they will be held accountable to them. Nothing is more frustrating to me than vague procedures.
Good leadership is good leadership, whether it is in the business world or in ministry. Take a moment to reflect on these and see if you need to change your philosophy of leadership. Also, take a moment to pray for those who lead you. I need to pray for my guy right now! Hopefully tonight will be better.
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