Know the Person Behind the Role
Are you struggling to get your people engaged and putting forth the effort needed to make your vision a reality?
You know what you want your team to accomplish. But do you know what they hope to achieve— and how that vision gives them a chance to grow, make a difference, and feel cared for?
As a young leader, I thought my role was to convince people to accomplish the mission.
I liked getting to know them, but I built a wall between knowing their names and strengths and really knowing them. I saw them as people, but I also saw them as a means to an end. They were needed to get the job done, and it was my responsibility to motivate them to perform.
I thought I could explain what was needed, assign responsibilities, and expect results. I knew very little about their lives or aspirations. They knew only what I chose to demonstrate about myself.
Essentially, I had people working for me rather than people sharing a mission with me.
I had it backward.
My job was to connect and serve. The mission mattered, but I was putting the cart before the horse.
A leader’s primary responsibility is to develop the competence and confidence of their team members, ultimately developing more leaders. To do that, I needed to understand their hopes, dreams, and aspirations—and help them pursue those within the context of our mission.
I learned that people want three things from their work.
They want to grow—and be able to recognize their own progress.
They want to know that what they do matters to someone, whether on the team or beyond it.
They want to know that someone cares about them.
Those needs became much clearer when I stopped assuming I knew what motivated people and started getting to know them.
Instead of constantly trying to convince people to embrace my vision, we could connect the mission to something that mattered to them. They could see opportunities to develop, understand the difference their work made, and experience my care through my actions.
Once I understood that, everything changed. We accomplished more together, and the work became more rewarding.
People are not simply resources to use in accomplishing the mission. Their development and wellbeing are part of the mission itself.
Connection begins when we understand what people hope to become and commit to helping them get there.
Where might you be viewing people primarily as resources or assets today?
How well do you know the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the people you lead?
What would change if they could see their growth, understand their contribution, and know
you cared?
This week, have a conversation with one team member that goes beyond assignments and
results. Ask what they hope to achieve, where they want to grow, and how you can help. Then
follow through with one concrete action that shows you listened.
As a leader, you can have people who work for you or people who work with you.
The choice is yours. Choose wisely.
