Putting People First

Earlier in my career I remember being criticized as being "too employee oriented” and not enough results focused. I remember jumping through hoops for a teammate to secure the aid she required from the company and the amazement in my peers not understanding why I cared so much. To me it was the essence of how I led my team to achieve great results whatever they may be. In time the trend of leadership evolved from delivering the results whatever the cost, to a more “humanistic” (or employee-oriented) approach.

The basic principle of leadership is to be human. Every year we either deliver or not deliver results we expect, and it is transitory. How we treat our colleagues and what happens to our employees in the process delivering those results are permanent. Regardless of current year results, this treatment sets the stage whether we deliver the results next year. Results aside, the very approach how we care for our colleagues determine if we support their growth.

Each time I have a new team I try to install what I call the virtuous circle of empowerment. At the initial stage I focus on the team and their development. This requires 20% or more of my time spending with teammates coaching and learning from them in the process. This is the core of my role as the leader. Once the team is more capable then I can delegate more from my tasks at hand and I can redirect my focus on strategic tasks and delivering results beyond expectations. The more I coach the more I can empower the team. The alternative would be to focus solely on the results first. In this case, the development of the team would be slow, and sustainability of the results would be uncertain.

It is not an easy task to “put people first” each time.

True leaders who have earned the trust of their teammates, get better at it with constant practice. And they reap the benefits in the long term for the company, as well as themselves.