Do hear be a leader, not a manager often in your work life? Why is there so much focus on exerting leadership qualities? And who cares as long as the task is completed?

I believe sustained success is driven through sustained leadership. A leader shows up even when the result is not what they want. A leader recognizes failure as an opportunity for growth. Inspiring employees is the top of a leader’s responsibility. And one cannot inspire without humility.

I am grateful for my experiences both good and bad throughout my career. Without my experiences, I would not be able to connect and empathize with my clients. And I most certainly would not open my own career services business. It was never my ‘dream’ to own a business, but oddly enough now I cannot ‘dream’ of doing anything else with my career. Thank you to my former, current, and future clients, I cannot pursue my goals without you!

I often hear the question what makes a successful manager. And the answer is complicated. Today let’s talk about balancing your competitive edge with humility. We have all had managers that make us ask ourselves, “How on earth did he/she get this position?” And we have all had managers with great people skills, but no execution. A manager lacking either trait does not inspire great work from employees and discourages future leaders from wanting to move to the next level within their organization.

I did some research and confirmed my suspicions that managers and employees want the same essential traits in one another: Honesty, Accountability, Mentorship/ability to be Mentored. I visited a few sites (thriveyard.com, tinypulse.com, businessnewsdaily.com, businessinsider.com, insperity.com), to help provide context and more resources for you, the reader to review.

My interpretation of the information is managers and employees yearn for the right balance between competitiveness and humility. As a leader, employees want someone who will take hold of the reigns and exceed expectations. A manager should possess the wherewithal to create a plan, delegate, and achieve/surpass the team goal.

However, if a leader only delegates and gives orders, the team will lack proper motivation and ultimately fall short of goal achievement. Yes, sometimes goals will be met, but accomplishments will not be consistent.

The best way to connect with your team is to show them you can do the work and offer help when needed. Trust me; your employees will feel inspired and humbled that you can create the plan and execute what you are asking of your employees.

And finally, when you make a mistake, embrace your shortcoming. We cannot learn if we do not fail. Failure is part of life, take the lesson and show your team how to grow.

Until next Tuesday…

How do you give back to your team? If you are not a manager yet, how does your boss inspire you?