Relationships, Relationships, Relationships!

In Real Estate it’s location, location, location! Leadership is about relationships. Sounds pretty obvious that you can’t consider yourself a leader if you don’t have followers! I’m not talking about social media followers that “like” one or two of your posts. I’m not talking about the people you supervise because they have no choice but to be supervised by you based on the job that they accepted or were hired to do. The clearest distinction between being a leader versus being a boss, supervisor, manager, or director is found in the influence you have on those you lead. Influence -hopefully for the greater good -cannot be accomplished absent relationship.

Sometimes we confuse this idea by thinking we have to be warm and fuzzy with the people we work with. We might even draw hard lines, being careful not to cause misperceptions of favoritism. 

Effective leaders understand that they can build respectful and trusting relationships with their staff/team/employees in a positive environment, increasing productivity and growth. This includes open and honest communication, clear expectations, accepting support, being supportive, answering questions and clarifying the vision. Leading with your heart is key! You can use all your skills but if people don’t believe you care, the road is rough. You can have the heart, but without the smarts you will make no impact.  

As a leader you can learn technical skills and organize a team to complete a task, However, if your goal is to influence people for sustainable development then you must focus on building relationships and cultivating an environment where people are valued and their contributions are appreciated. Pray for the “heart” of leadership!