Because I Said So Is Never Enough

‘‘The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.’’

—Jim Rohn

 

As business owners, there are things we know, and things we don’t know.

 

We know that we must demonstrate leadership.

We also know that at times we must be the boss.

 

What we don’t often know is how to handle situations when we must be both – simultaneously.

 

Come on too bossy and it may undermine our leadership

Come on too leader-ly, and it may be interpreted it as weakness.

 

Being a boss infers that we have the authority to tell people what to do.  To those we ‘boss around,’ we may appear to be exercising our egos.

 

Being a leader infers that we have the ability to inspire others, not because we tell them what to do, but because we make them feel they want to do it.  To those we lead, we appear ego-less.

 

When we enter the never-neverland where bossing and leadership overlap, we risk disengaging. From my perspective, I consider the risk an opportunity to grow your influence, and your teams.

 

As children, I’m sure we all remember when we would be told to do something by our parents and we didn’t want to.  ‘ Why do I have to do this?  I don’t want to,’ we would cry.

The classic response?  ‘Because I said so.’  I don’t know about you, but doing something out of blind faith is pretty much like learning to memorize something you don’t understand. You pay lip service but don’t get the meaning.

 

As business owners, when we function in that gray, boss-leader capacity, ‘because,’ by itself, is meaningless.  But ‘because’ is a very powerful tool – if you also give people the ‘why’.

 

People understand it. It allows them realize the importance of the request. It not only validates it, but allows them to believe and conclude on their own, that their participation is important and necessary to the company’s success.

 

For them, it enhances their sense of value and belonging. It makes them part of the process and encourages teamwork and growth.

 

For you, simple explanations serve to enhance your influence because you’ve demonstrated your trust by sharing information.

 

For both of you, when you bridge the gap between boss and leader, it becomes a win-win.

‘’The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.’’

–      John Buchan