High Performance Leadership

Strength without respect is empty power leading to undesired side-effects. Forcing the issue with might alone is not high performance leadership, it is bluster that bruises. We can do better than that. We can be strong. We can hold fast. We can defend ourselves respectfully. And when we do, in good time, the respect flowers and grows. -- doug smith

If you had to build a winning team, what kinds of team members would you recruit? I haven't ever heard anyone ever say that they'd start with subpar performers. No one wants to build a team of strugglers. Wouldn't we rather have a perfect team? Ah, yes, but there are NO perfect performers, are there? We are all flawed. We are all in various stages of growth. Superstars, as well as subpar performers all need to grow, all need to develop. How do we do that best? As high performance leaders we must do two fundamental things very well. First of all, we must support our team members. Give them the resources, the training, the attention, and the respect that they need in order to prosper. The second fundamental we must master is to challenge our team members. Challenge them in ways that they've never been offered before. Give them tough projects, delegate them advanced tasks, push them beyond their initial expectations until they see their own potential as something ...

We live in a time when it is so easy to attack, so simple to disrespect. Our beliefs clash and our logic melts into emotions. It happens between friends, within families, and often, within our teams. High performance leaders avoid the temptation to personalize every dispute. When that rush of adrenaline hits our hearts, we would do well to pause and think it over. Let people be people and lead with respect regardless. It's harder when we don't know people very well because we jump to conclusions or we defend our emotional turf. Still, it's senseless. It's harder when we know people so well that they know just how to push the right emotional buttons to flare us up and we know all their emotional triggers so well that we play right into the conflict. Two extremes invite disrespect: not knowing someone at all and knowing them extremely well. What to do? Pause, and respect. Pause, and respect. -- doug smith

Do people need to earn your respect? Some people do believe that it is necessary to prove yourself worthy of respect before someone should grant you respect. What's the problem with that? When we put ourselves into the position of judge we also open the door wider to being judged. Can people tell when you respect them?  Undoubtably. We seem to have an inner radar that differentiates respect from disrespect -- or worse, disregard. We can tell, and we care. Deeply. Whatever a person has done in the past that we might question, it is still possible to treat them with respect. Kindness, compassion, even love know no limits. Respecting someone does not mean that you agree with everything that they've ever done -- or even with what they are  doing or saying right now. Respect means that you treat them with human dignity, fairness, compassion, and honor. I know that it can be tough to show respect in the heat of an argument or when someone is not acting in a likable mann...

Have you ever said anything that you regretted? I know that I have. As leaders, we must be careful about our communications. Things that may seem humorous or criticism we deserve to make can be hurtful if we're not careful. And as leaders, people look to us to set a good example and tone for the organization. Anything said with disrespect will trigger resistance. Sometimes disrespect will breed fear. Is that what we really want? No matter what we say, no matter how deep the comment, we can always say it with respect. -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com