While this column has always been focused on sharing tools for better communication, and thereby building better relationships with the people we care about most, I was able to tie each from the last several months to individual chapters from What’s KILLING Your Profitability? (It ALL Boils Down to Leadership!), the book I published in early 2024. My goal in doing that was to provide a direct connection between the skills required for leading a team in the workplace and what each of us can do to build stronger relationships with our friends and family. While I’ve seen far too many supervisors and managers attempt to rule with an iron fist, the influence necessary to lead a team effectively in any business varies little from what each of us can do to be just as effective in our personal interactions each day.
Having touched on something from nearly every chapter in that book, it’s time to dig into something new. I recently finished a manuscript for a new book that will be called Leading With A Clear Purpose – Steps Every Leader Should Take to Define Their Own and Provide One for Everyone on Their Team. In complete transparency, though, I don’t know that I’ll be able to make the same type of connection between each chapter of that book with the purpose this column serves (pun intended).
With that said, I believe a large part of the leadership responsibility those of us who are parents carry lies in guiding our children through some of the tougher decisions they’ll be faced with. And quite frankly, how we provide that guidance boils down to communication. More than twenty years ago, a veterinarian friend of mine emphasized how important any message we share can be in saying, “I can kill your dog but tell you the right way and you’ll bring every dog you ever have to me. But I can save your dog and tell you the wrong way, and you’ll never come back again.” Although he never killed any of our dogs, his point has resonated ever since.
As I wrapped up the final chapter of Leading With A Clear Purpose, I challenged readers to think about the legacy they hoped to leave, personally and professionally; what would they like to be remembered for by future generations? I think that question is especially important for us to consider as parents; not just to feed our ego, but for how we provide an example and guidance that helps our children make life decisions based on a purpose they’re passionate about. In doing that, our behavior and our communication will be critical.
In the coming months, I’ll do all I can to tie some of the practical steps I outlined in Leading With A Clear Purpose back to how you or I can, when necessary, provide guidance for a friend or family member in a way that they actually receive the message and connect it with a purpose they’re excited about.
