Manners – the foundation for great leadership?

“Good morning”

“Please”

“Thank you”

 

How often to do you say these words at work (indeed in your entire life – but that is the subject of another blog)?  And how genuine are you?    When you ask a team member “How are you today” – do you REALLY want to know? Have you ever had the experience of someone asking “How are you” and knowing that no matter what you say (“My dog died, my house burned down, I have a terminal illness”) – their response would be a flippant “That’s great”!  Did you feel honoured, respected, cared for and listened to?  Did you feel joy?  Did you feel ready to be engaged?

 

The simple act of genuinely greeting each person you meet takes very little time, yet yields HUGE returns – they feel recognized and honoured.  But also, you feel – well “blessed” is the best word I can find for that feeling.

 

So how do you do this?

1.BELIEVE that it is an important part of your job as a leader.  Being able to articulate vision, inspire action and motivate change are crucial.  However, all of those wonderful leadership skills will fall flat if you don’t show others simple courtesies

2.STOP!  When you meet an employee, stop! Never be too busy to take a moment, for a moment is all it takes to genuinely connect

3.SMILE and make eye contact.  For that moment, demonstrate that they are the most important person to you

4.LISTEN to their response.   Really listen – for what they say, and don’t say

5.RESPOND to what you heard them say.  Sometimes a simple “Thank you” is adequate

 

Try it today – make this, courtesy and good manners, be your number one priority. It is a fabulous, magical thing to make someone’s day and it starts with a simple connection.  You will find that your day is made too!