Pride gets distorted the moment we start believing our own highlight reel. Nothing brings leaders back to earth faster than how they treat people. Start with two truths:
1. False pride shows up in four ways:
Thinking you’re the source of your own excellence… believing gifts are earned rather than given… boasting about unearned abilities… or downplaying others while elevating yourself.
1. Pride comes in two forms:
Healthy pride grows from authentic achievement and self-respect. Unhealthy pride is ego in disguise — a mask for insecurity.
Now, let me confess something: I’m a dog lover. My pets think I’m terrific no matter what. Their admiration is unconditional. Employees, however, are not wired like pets. They want to know what’s in it for me — and they’re right to ask.
Leaders answer that question through behavior, not slogans:
• Put your people first — plan your day around their needs
• Take the blame when things go wrong and give credit when things go right
• Spend half your day listening, not talking
• If you say you’ll get back to them, do it
• Never complain to them — your job is to hear theirs
• Model the engagement you expect from them
Putting employees first isn’t soft leadership. It’s strategic leadership. It builds trust, transparency, and a culture where people feel valued — and when people feel valued, they exceed expectations.
You’ll feel proud leading like this. Your employees will love being treated this way and feel proud of where they work. That’s not false pride. That’s the real thing — the kind that matters today.
Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer (1918 – 2002): She began writing the "Ask Ann Landers" column in 1955 and continued for 47 years, by which time its readership was 90 million people. A 1978 World Almanac survey named her the most influential woman in the United States. She was the identical twin sister of Pauline Phillips, who wrote the similarly popular "Dear Abby" advice column as Abigail Van Buren.
No comments:
Post a Comment