I’m Always There

I met, individually, with the leaders of a new partner org recently. 

One leader said something in our meeting that resonated deeply. 

She told me that she tells new hires, “Don’t worry about some kind of ‘gotcha’ moment while working here. You won’t have that because I’m always there.” 

This may sound ominous and overbearing, but it’s not. 

It’s supportive and proactive. And it’s precisely the attitude that every leader should have. 

Far too often, leaders tell me that they don’t want to “micromanage” the people who work for them. They want them to “figure things out” on their own. They don’t want to “give them all the answers.” 

The neglect (yes, neglect) that permeates these statements is staggering.  

Why, if we care, even slightly, about what we do, would we leave employee performance to chance? Why would we act like something that’s totally within our control isn’t? 

This leader, running a small organization, understands something that so many leaders running mega companies do not. 

It’s on us, as leaders, to ensure that employee performance is exemplary. It’s on us, as leaders, to show our people what good looks like. It’s on us, as leaders, to uphold a standard for the entire organization and everyone who works there. It’s on us, as leaders, to ensure that we’re always there. Or, if we can’t be always there, that another leader is. 

If not us, then who?