Balance Strength With Heart
I wonder if the human touch, which people have, is not one of
the greatest assets that one can have. You meet some people, and
immediately you feel their warmth of mind or heart. You read a
book, sit before the performance of a fine actor, or read a poem
-- and there it is -- something that streams into your
consciousness. . . . Those who keep climbing higher, in their
chosen work, all have this outstanding something. The nurse in
the hospital, the man who delivers your mail, the clerk behind
many a store counter, and the effective minister or public
speaker. Without this human touch, hope has little on which to
feed or thrive. - George Matthew Adams
Let's face facts. In a leadership role you are paid for making
hard decisions that others don't want to make and perhaps can't
make. You may remember the old saying "rank has its privileges
but also its responsibilities." Your only half right when you
focus on the privilege of rank or status of your position. To be
an effective leader you must have a balanced approach between
accomplishing the objectives of the organization and the needs
of the individuals doing the work. It simply boils down to being
as fair as possible to both sides. You can be a hard nosed
leader; just be fair. People will work very hard for you if they
don't like you or your style but they will go out of their to
destroy you if they hate you.
You may be called upon to make a decision that is contrary to
what everyone else is doing. Right is right even when no one
else is doing it. Wrong is wrong even when everyone but you is
doing it. Too often a leader is driven to satisfy his or her
manager, stock holders, board of directors and his or her
individual goals that may be contrary to what is the right thing
to do. All eyes are on you, whether you like it or not, as a
leader you are constantly mentoring and setting the example.
Everyone is watching to see what you are going to do. Always do
what is right based upon your values, moral and ethical compass
regardless of the consequences. It takes personal courage and
risk to your career to do the right thing.
These hard decisions are not made without impacting the lives of
the people work you work with and for. Always keep the welfare
of the people you work with in mind when making your decisions.
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