A good leader makes their employees feel safe, and nurtures staffers to belong to a circle of trust. We all have the capacity to do remarkable things in the right environment.
Good leadership evokes a deep sense of trust and co-operation based on feelings. Feelings of belonging within the tribe created this trust and cooperation.
Millennia ago man faced danger and banded together into tribes to create a safer environment against the everyday dangers of weather, scarcity of food, fierce animals like Sabertooth tigers.
Sinek says it is no different today, yes we don’t have tigers to battle, but we have constant threats to our business from competition.
In our business we have the opportunity to create that safe, secure environment where collectively everyone is working for the good of the company.
Good leaders make the choice to give up comfort and safety for the good of the group.
They provide opportunities for their employees, education and discipline when necessary just as a good parent gives their child.
These opportunities allow the employee to learn and grow and build self-confidence.
Next Jump’s CEO Charles Kim, (a tech company) has a policy of lifetime employment – if you get hired you cannot be fired for lack of performance.
They will coach you, train you support you to become a success. Society judges leadership – for example in Big Banking where leadership protects their own self-interest and financial gain by sacrificing others.
They continue to take huge bonuses while firing and laying off thousands of employees. Bob Chapman a CEO of a Midwest manufacturing company suddenly found themselves 10 million dollars short.
The board wanted to lay off people, but Bob said no. He came up with a furlough program for all employees including upper management and himself.
Everyone would take 4 weeks off without pay, they could choose the time, and did not have to take it all at once. When he announced it to the employees he said it is better we should all sacrifice a little so that some will not have to suffer a lot.
This so increased moral in the company that they made up the deficit and an additional 10 million dollars. Leadership is a choice not a rank.
Original Source: TED Talks Official YouTube Channel
