Trusting their lives
An adventurer leading a group of explorers is obviously directly responsible for the lives of the people they are leading, but is that true of other leaders?
The people you lead are trusting you with their lives.
That may sound like hyperbole but, particularly in the workplace, they are giving a significant amount of their time following your direction. They probably spend more time at work than with their families.
They are trusting their income and their career to your direction and the path you are leading them on. The time they spend and the income they earn are linked to your leadership. Their families probably rely on that income so the decisions you make are impacting more than the people who directly work for you. Will the path you decide to take be a success?
So no pressure then!
In a recent conversation on the High Performance podcast with the chef Tom Kerridge, he talks about it being an honour to be part of the lives of some of his people.
Like Katie who’s our restaurant manager, 15 years next week. 15 years of her life, she’s committed to it. Now that for me is an honour. I’m privileged. 15 years of someone’s life is absolutely huge to their growth, their determination, they want to be a part of it. I’ve had their lives, their careers in my hands. Now that is a massive responsibility. So I feel hugely responsible for all of them.
Here’s a video of the above section.
I love this description. Not only are there challenges but it is an honour and a huge responsibility if people decide to trust you with their careers and everything associated with it. We should not take that responsibility lightly.
Links
