We lead people, right, or do we? Am I missing something? Who else would we be leading? Perhaps, I should be asking, what are we leading? Sometimes, as leaders, the "what" seems to become more important than the "who". Yet, to be a great leader, the "who" always has to come before the "what". "We lead people, not outcomes" is one of the statements and adamant points made by Dr. Marcus Funchess, a mentor and friend of mine. He goes on to say, "If you lead people well, you will get the outcomes." The longer I stay in leadership and learn about it, I understand the statements made by Dr. Funchess to be true and relevant in the experiences I have with the leaders I report to and how I implement these truths in my leadership. I have encountered leaders who get the most out of their people by building positive relationships and others who need to focus more on their relationships to get better results.
I am learning that to lead well, we have to be willing to be human, being the people we were created to be. We also need to make sure that we take care of ourselves to be our best for the people we serve. Kim Scott, in her book Radical Candor (2019), put it this way, "In life, I learned that too much emphasis on shareholder value actually destroys value, as well as morale. Instead, I learned to focus first on staying centered myself, so that I could build real relationships with each of the people who worked for me. Only when I was centered and my relationships were strong could I fulfill my responsibilities as a manager to guide my team to achieve the best results. Shareholder value is the result. It's not the core, though." Rather than unpacking her statement, I want to point out the emphasis placed on the morale that is lost when the "what" becomes greater than the "who" and the results that are possible when the "who" is a greater emphasis than the "what".
As leaders, we are expected to get results. Even though this is true, we must not let the pressure of getting results cause us to assume that the results are more important than the people we lead. We must put the people first and trust the process. So, how do we do this?
Here are five ways we can lead that will help us lead people well. The first four are from Mauricio Arellano, the Superintendent of one of the largest school districts in California. We need to: 1) See People; 2) Hear People; 3) Value People; 4) Love People; and 5) Empower People. These are not listed by order of importance, but each is important and should become part of your practice in leading people. These principles are not just good within organizations, but they apply to leading a family, a sports team, and in the community. These principles work wherever there are people. Do these well, and the results will come.
