Recently we held an offsite for our Eagle team. We call it Fun Day and generally it is conducted each quarter of the year. It is a time to come together and share important content followed by simply having fun! This offsite was led by our President and myself and the purpose of the content was to create and underscore alignment for our team. While I feel like we accomplished that goal, I took away something more.
I know that I should know these things about our team, and I do. However, I am always amazed when I see our team in action. Here is a sampling of the things that came out of our Fun Day content: "We exist as a team to share each other's burdens… to teach and learn from one another. We value diversity and authenticity. We do not want to stay in our comfort zones, nor do we want to dance around the hard issues. We will be successful when we demonstrate personal responsibility by living out our values."
Once again, I am reminded that leadership is a verb. It begins with a sincere care for others. It is most powerful when driven by inspiration and not obligation. Accountability to the goals will result in strong metrics (and they are important) but accountability to values and purpose will result in a strong and aligned team…. No, it's more than that. Leading with inspired purpose will result in meaningful relationships.
Our team reminded me that the most important component of leadership is the ability to speak into the lives of others. Choose to step back from your metrics and tasks and remember why you exist. Build strong relationships with those you lead and you will make a difference!
- Larry
The Takeaway
