Are you going to be the CEO who controls your team or the one who brings out the best in them?
Because both actually need the same foundation. Both require a framework and direction to be effective.
The challenge is that many of us “nice” people misinterpret bringing out the best in people as simply leaving them be. That what’s needed is for us to just “support” them.
(Which is another much misunderstood word.)
That’s not letting them flourish – that’s an abrogation of responsibility. Usually unintended. But that’s what it boils down to.
If we want to bring out the best in our team, that requires hard work on our side.
We have to create a framework that provides guidance and direction, recognising that this will be different by individual, and which provides the parameters to make that growth constructive for both the individual and the company.
And we have to build an environment and culture that encourages them to proactively create and pursue their growth opportunities.
In doing that, we provide a support that is both empowering and directed.
It takes effort and planning to be the kind of boss who brings out the best in people.
That doesn’t mean we don’t do “nice”.
But it does mean recognising that “nice” doesn’t let us off the hook for our role in allowing our team to do their best work.
How's 2022 going? Have you been able to step back and focus on strategy, on purpose, on scale? We're looking for an intimate beta group of CEOs (10 to 40 employees) to join us on this workshop to talk through our Build on Purpose framework for making strategy, purpose and values happen. If that's you, join us.