July 30, 2021 5:43 am Published by

When you observe great leadership, it stands out.

One of my clients repeatedly offers an opportunity to learn about great leaders and great leadership. I see her once a quarter, and in the one or two days I’m with her I always take note and find myself wanting to be better as a leader and a person.

She does several things consistently which remind me to work on it:

  1. She calls everyone by their name, and she’s working with 800+ employees. This is consistent when we travel to their branches and she’s interfacing with any employee.
  2. She knows about people’s families and is current with what’s happening with them.
  3. She begins most group communication with appreciation for the person’s comment, their courage and repeats back what she’s heard them say before offering her thoughts.
  4. She is always taking notes, promises specific actions or communication back, and follows up. The teams talk about this and appreciate her for it.
  5. She notices and acknowledges the team’s work and accomplishments.
  6. When she delivers constructive feedback, it’s done with care AFTER doing all of the above.
  7. She’s kind, tough and fair.

I am a work in progress, and she serves as an example of how to lead well for me. I sent her a note today to thank her.

Who do you learn from? Have you told them?

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