4 Ways to lead by walking in 10 minutes a day
I can be intense. Especially when I am creating something new - a program, an organization, a fresh structure. I love the feeling of putting my head down, strapping on the blinders, and cranking away until I drop!
This was great when I was working alone. Colleagues and co-workers were always amazed at my commitment and sheer output. I got more done, and in less time, than anyone thought was realistic - or even possible.
But when I had a team, they could feel left in the dust. "You're always six steps ahead of us," they complained. "We need time to catch up."
So I put my head down, strapped on the blinders, and went about finding ways to bring them up to speed — and completely missed the point.
I was six steps ahead because I forgot to invite them to the party. And if I wanted them to come to my party, I had to go to theirs. Theirs, of course, happened in all the places I never hung out: around the coffee pot as people arrived, wrapping up at the end of the day, stepping out for coffee or ordering lunch or walking to a meeting together.
"NO!" I thought. I've got work to do! I don't want to hear about the office manager's baby shower or their grumpy cousin or what kind of car they’re going to buy. I don't have time to shoot the breeze.
Big mistake. In fact, I didn't have time not to do those things. That's where relationships were formed and people felt seen and heard and cared about.
So I tried an experiment. Here are five things I decided to do, not because I wanted to, but because my team needed me to. I determined to do them for a month and watch for results.
I spent the first five minutes of every day leaning against the file cabinet in the office. It was hilarious, because it was all I could do to hold myself there. But as I did, I began to be included. They had always liked and respected me. Now they felt like I liked them.
When I finished eating at my desk, I got up and took my trash to the basket in the front office, instead of just tossing it in my own. That little 2-minute walk, sticking my head in offices along the way, yielded more of a sense of connection than I could have ever conceived before doing it.
At least twice a week, I walked to Starbucks — and asked who wanted to walk over with me.
When I heard the rustle of people starting to leave at the end of the day, I pulled my behind out of my seat and wished them a good evening.
As absurd as it sounds, these four little conscious actions, less than 10 minutes per day, had a massive impact on morale, community, and willingness to do more. All the stuff I thought was more important — well, it wasn't. For without these little connections, I wasn't leading. I was just doing it alone.