Tip of the week: BE A LEADER: TREAT YOUR COLLEAGUES AS FAMILY MEMBERS? Long ago, in Panama, a senior leader of the organization addressed his team and stated: “Let us be clear. We are not a family. We are colleagues; we work together and have to deliver results as a team. That’s it” This was somewhat shocking to the audience, which for the longest had heard repeated messages assimilating our relationship to the familial one. On Saturday, my team went on to bid farewell to two of our colleagues, and in her good-bye statement, she unequivocally stated: “I am grateful to be part of this team because we are a family. We stick together, and, despite our differences, together, we overcome the challenges facing us. This relationship with you has made me a better person and a better professional”.
I still appreciate the value of the advice given by my senior colleague in Panama and, to be candid, I am still making my mind about where I stand on the matter. However, at this stage, I want to invite you to consider the gains of assuming that your colleagues are part of your extended family. Perhaps some can be regarded as distant cousins, grand-daughters, or fathers-in-law, while others can be considered brothers, sisters, and even parents. Each one of you will have excellent reasons to assimilate your colleagues within the level of familiarity you deem appropriate. What matters is that if we decide to treat each other as family -whichever family degree you want to assign- we might be inclined to be more understanding, forgiving, generous, and loving.
Try it for some time, make a conscious effort, and let me know how it goes? Did you conclude? What do you think? It might even be useful regarding how you interact with your given, blood, or legal family. What is your dynamic with them? Are you as kind, generous, and understanding as you should?
Please do invest the 22 minutes and 8 seconds required to see this video and learn about EMPATHY & PERSPECTIVE. Forget about being ‘in charge’ and learn about ‘taking care of those in your charge’.
I wish you a wonderful and happy week!