This pursuit of leadership all started with a few simple words that I have lived with for a very long time : “ How can I help you ?” This simple statement has set me up to guide and lead people .
situation . If you ’ re dealing with something challenging , make that known to your team . Be honest with them — show them how you , as a leader , can be genuine and real in the workplace .
Many people struggle to be vulnerable in romantic relationships , let alone their professional ones . But if you break down what vulnerability is , it suddenly becomes easier . You have to know yourself and trust yourself . You have to know how you ’ re leading and what kind of leadership your team needs . Once you know this , you can pick and choose the ways to show up that will work best for you and your team .
Vulnerability can be simple : It ’ s sharing and caring , then listening intently .
Establish trust
Establishing trust as a leader can be very difficult . It ’ s not so much because cultivating trust itself is hard , but because the two primary qualities necessary to building trust are difficult to achieve on their own : vulnerability and listening . Throughout my career , I have offered help to anyone who wanted it . It only took a few years for me to realize that a small time investment , as little as 10-15 minutes , of one-on-one time with someone can dramatically change the relationship . After years of inviting others to , and participating in , these quick meetings , I began to understand that simply offering to help someone established me as a leader in their eyes . To me , a leader is a person that others gravitate toward . But why do they gravitate toward them in the first place ?
I found that when you reveal a true emotion , a feeling or a story from your past that connects with the person or people you are talking with , vulnerable moments will bring them closer to you . You ’ ll see it begin to happen right before your eyes as you ’ re talking . A light will go on , and they ’ ll say , “ Me too !” or “ I feel that same way !” The mutual exchange of vulnerability is how people choose who to follow . This is because vulnerability is a stepping stone to trust . The shared vulnerability between two people brings about a stronger , deeper connection , and it can happen quickly .
Learn to listen
Listening is the final key to establishing trust as a leader , because to have a mutual connection or mutual exchange of vulnerability , you need to listen to the person as intently as they listened to you . When I listen really well to the person in my space , I learn and grow every time . If I do all the talking , I am not learning anything new . When I listen , I become a stronger leader . Listening is a practice , just like sharing and finding moments to be vulnerable . This connection , when cultivated and reaffirmed over time , builds trust between the leader and the follower .
Ask anyone on my team and they will agree that I ’ m a people-first leader . I have found my way into vulnerability and trust by taking the time to listen and discover the personal motivations of every person on my team . We have created a shared trust through those exchanges . Every day , I set out to guide my team toward a better worklife balance , coax them into situations that build character and surround them with opportunities . I am excited to give them options to share their thoughts with me , and when they do , I make time to listen intently . I want them to cultivate the same care for the people they work with as I do . Not only because this creates trust between the two of us , but because this makes them feel like they have been and will be taken care of on all levels . When an issue arises in their life that will also impact how they show up at work , they trust me with that information . With that trust , I am empowered as a leader to help them find a solution . Which is , to me , the end goal .
Tina Reynolds opened Uptown Studios , a visual communications firm in Sacramento specializing in graphic design , website design , video production , social media and marketing , in 1992 .
What do you think is the most important element of being a great leader ?
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February 2021 | comstocksmag . com 25