Christmas Leadership Lesson #2 of 3
Have you ever felt like you are running a daycare at your office?
You may not be far off. Our employees, just like ourselves, come to work each day with lots of conscious and subconscious "baggage."
Our job as leaders is to help them enjoy meaningful work and feel valued as a member of our team.
Christmas LEADERSHIP Lesson #2: Certainly some aspects of your company are like being part of a family, but GREAT Leaders help each employee regularly feel like a valued member of their team.
Consider these words written and sung by Steven Curtis Chapman:
Well I don't know if you remember me or not
I'm one of the kids they brought in from the home
I was the red-haired boy in an old green flannel shirt
You may not have seen me - I was standing off alone
I didn't come and talk to you, 'cause that's never worked before
And you'll prob'ly never see this letter anyway
But just in case there's something you can do to help me out
I'll ask you one more time
All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for
But there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family
Well I guess I should go ahead and tell you now
If it's really true about that list you have
Somehow I always seem to end up in a fight
But I'm really trying hard not to be bad
But maybe if I had a brother or a dad to wrestle with
Well, maybe they could teach me how to get along
And from everything I've heard
Sounds like the greatest gift on earth would be a mom
All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for
But there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas
Is someone who'll be there
To sing me "Happy Birthday"
For the next 100 years
And it's OK if they're not perfect
Well, even if they're a little broken, that's alright
'Cause so am I
Well, I guess I should go
It's almost time for bed
And maybe next time I write you
I'll be at home
'Cause all I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
Tell me I'll never be alone
Someone whose love will never end
Of all that I could ask for
Well, there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas
All I really want for Christmas is a family
Just a family
That's all I really need
You may not feel called to adopt children as we have, but you can have a significant impact on the world by helping the people in your office do work that is meaningful to them and regularly communicating you value them in ways they prefer.
I suggest this thought is worth 15 minutes of pondering over a good cup of coffee or tea.
P.S. EmancipateME, the nonprofit that owns 50% of MANAGEtoWIN, received its 501(c)(3) approval from the IRS this month. If you would like to support our work to help nonprofits working on the front lines of human trafficking visit the EmancipateME website and make a tax-free donation.
Email me if you need help with your company culture, challenging employees, and/or to learn the LEADERSHIP Essentials of inspiring people.
Be a Systematic Leader because inconsistency hurts.
