Chapter 10: October

OCTOBER 01

“Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our minds to the unexplored worlds occupied by the needs of others.”

—Barbara Bush, former U.S. first lady

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER

No doubt about it, recognition moves you into alien territory—a.k.a. your employees’ world. And from where they sit, everything looks a whole lot different.

We’ve discovered that the more you give of yourself in learning about your employees (their needs, their likes, their dislikes), the more your perspective changes and you find yourself better able to lead them—with compassion, understanding, and confidence (because you know them and you know they’ll follow).

After a while, you may ask yourself why you never saw all this before. It’s because (and we mean this kindly) you’ve been on another planet. We’re glad you’re back.