To You, With You

This is a philosophy that's very dear to me in working with others, regardless of the situation. It's the idea of our efforts being projected as us doing something "to" our client or "with" out client.

Why is this important? I believe it's important because great leadership always seeks to give ownership to people and not take ownership from people. Anyone can do something to someone, but it takes wisdom, prudence, and insight to be able to do something with someone and for someone.

I believe this principle applies in business, relationships, parenting, and various other forums. The key here is perspective... the perspective of working together for a cause greater than ourselves. That's when we'll begin to gain the greater joy of work.

The danger in doing something "to" someone is that they won't receive it well, it won't be owned, and it's not respected. If you truly believe in the contribution you bring to the table then why would you undermine your own contribution by the attitude or delivery of your contribution?

Challenge: Be mindful of how you work with others and seek ways to respect them as you work "with" them.

Respond: Share a story of how you've seen working "with" someone inspire and create ownership.

Is, Is Not

Definition is often a bother to me in the productivity and working relationships of people. We get frustrated when things aren't done, when they aren't done the way we expected, or when people just don't seem to understand us. In some ways it seems like an unconquerable mountain when it comes to communication and overcoming obstacles. But in reality there are many simple things we can do to help make our work environments operate with efficiency and respect.

The simplest of one's is what's called, "IS, IS NOT". You simply task yourself to not only define what it is that you expect but also what you don't expect. Set the fences and explain the turf in the middle. This works not only for roles and responsibility but all the way to corporate vision and mission.

I will usually take clients through this exercise so that we can define what's on the other side of the fence just as we have defined what's in the middle. This enables people to take ownership, understand the bigger picture, and most importantly it gives everyone a framework for corporate accountability.

Definition can bring great clarity to a team and great strength to them as they move forward. Even as you delegate consider what you can define and the is and is nots. Ask yourself what are you main objectives and then what falls outside of that. Ask yourself what you expect for someone to do in their position or a project... and then what falls outside of that.

Building this as part of your corporate culture will be of benefit to your people, your business, and yourself.

Challenge: Seek to bring greater definition to your team by defining what IS and IS NOT

Respond: What other ways could you bring definition to your team?