IT IS VERY TRUE THAT LEARNING MAY COME FROM MANY DIFFERENT PLACES, AS LONG AS WE ARE OPEN FOR IT.

I was playing Tea party with my little daughter. I have to say that after raising 2 boys, I did not have any idea on how a Tea party works. Did not know all the preparation that goes with it.  So even though I am getting better at it, I was a complete newbie before my daughter came into my life. 

So, after all the prep that goes before starting the game, we were sitting down taking the tea and all the treats that go with it. We have all kind of “imaginary treats.”  Muffins, croissants, candies, you name it. And of course, we had all kind of delicious jellies to pick from. I think we had more choices there that in any supermarket I have ever been.  (Between you and me, I like this game, because I get to eat so many imaginary treats without worrying about calories, sugar content or anything else).

 Going back to the game, while playing it with my daughter, I was trying different choices but my daughter was always suggesting me to try the imaginary croissant with raspberry jelly, she was convinced that it was the “best option for me.”  She was trying to lead me into the direction of something good and tasty.  She, in her mind, was looking for something that was good for me. 

A thought crossed to my mind.  That’s what good leaders do.  When you are really focusing on leading your team into results that will benefit them, that’s real leadership. 

Making changes just for the sake of making changes is not a recipe for good results or benefits. Therefore, the leader needs to know the what results and benefits will most likely be obtained if taking a particular path.  Then, the question becomes, if I lead them in that direction, is that really going to benefit them? 

If the path won’t lead to good results for the people you are leading, don’t take that route. 

This sounds like very simple logic, but trust me, I have seen many team leaders that keep pushing the team to go on a route that won’t deliver good results or the “good results” aren’t even worth the effort. The team just gets burned out in those cases. 

So, when you are looking for action paths to lead your team through, before you start any of them, before you start to make any changes, first identify what benefits will come out of them for your team. Are they good? Are they bad? Are they worth the effort?

At the end, everything that we do as leaders, encompasses time, effort and many other resources, including in some cases money, that needs to be spent. 

Let’s spend those resources in projects and activities that really deliver benefits for the people that we lead. 

That will help us to create better work environments, better companies, better teams and better families.

So, in the end, I need to say that yes, the croissant with raspberry jelly was the best option of all.

Remember to share with other leaders or soon to be leaders. 

 All the best,

Alex