Business Is All About The People
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” John C. Maxwell
I’m sure you’ve heard it said about some leaders and managers that “they’re all business.” When we say a person is “all business,” we’re saying they focus primarily on work, and they may exhibit little tolerance for having some fun while “on the clock.” They take their job so seriously they can at times appear aloof or anti-social.
An organization can have a business environment that’s “all work no play,” so to speak, that culture is all about just doing your job, getting it done correctly and on time. Leaders and managers who focus only on business will often develop a disconnect with their people and ultimately lose sight of their organization’s original vision. The “all business” type leader runs the risk of losing both people (employees, customer/clients) and their business.
Many studies show leaders and managers who pay special attention to their people will add value to them by looking after their general health and wellbeing. In the end, their focus rewards them with higher productivity and higher customer/client satisfaction, thus strengthening their business.
The Power of Connecting with People
“Connect deeply with others. Humanity is the one thing we all have in common.” – Melinda Gates
We can sometimes get “the cart before the horse,” developing tunnel vision with a business only mentality. The truth is, you cannot lead mechanisms or systems, only people.
Developing people allows you to guide them, connecting with them rewards you with influence, and they, in turn, will voluntarily follow you.
Connecting with people enables you to find common ground to work with; this allows you to identify potential leaders. Connecting with people will allow you to equip them, thus adding value to them. Connectivity brings health to both your people and your business. Developing connections with your people, and each other produces the ripple effect of increased influence, emotional health, self-esteem, self-awareness, creativity, productivity, energy, and effectiveness.
Dr. Emma Seppala states, “People who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety and depression. Moreover, studies show they also have higher self-esteem, greater empathy for others, are more trusting and cooperative, and, as a consequence, others are more open to trusting and cooperating with them. In other words, social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional, and physical wellbeing.”(1)
Investing in Your People is Your Business
“Your network is your net worth.” – Porter Gale.
Angela Kambouris comments, “A workplace without red tape, unwritten rules and politics is as mythical as a unicorn. However, today’s business leaders are beginning to look inward to analyze how people experience their workplaces. Inclusive leaders want to know how their team members work and respond to their environments, from human interactions to corporate culture.”(2)
Think through the following four questions from our Master Operating System’s People section; it can help you and your people improve interpersonal relations, your company’s organizational culture, and productivity.
Has each employee in your organization completed an assessment to help the leadership team more effectively lead andmotivate the organization based on each individual’s passions and competency? Do you have a systematic way of bringing on new employees to help them become acclimated to your organizations’ culture? Is each team member in the right role within your organization? Do you have a systematic way of developing your best performing team members?(3)
Running a profitable business requires teamwork, which means team building, seamlessly working together is all about developing your greatest asset, people.
“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you are playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” – Reid Hoffman of Linkedin.
(1)Connectedness & Health: The Science of Social Connection https://stanford.io/37HpRqo
(2)Angela Kambouris (CEO of Evoluccion Consulting Agency} https://bit.ly/3aCY2l4
(3)Learn more about our Master Operating System https://bit.ly/3fxSTLx
*** This article was authored by John Picarello, Chief Leadership Officer at Lions Pride Leadership Co.***