The Team Comes First

I saw a post this morning on Linked In that read, “A boss will ask you to manage your stress. A leader will fix what is causing it.” It made me think of situations people I care about are going through. It has always surprised me that you can love your job, have the best team, be super productive, and with one staff change, it is erased. 

Like all of us, I have been in organizations that have had leadership members exit or shifts in organizational structure. And I too have had a small handful of terrible bosses, thankfully. But what should we do in those situations? Grin and bear it? Leave our own roles? Manage up? All three are valid strategies; however, at the end of the day, the only thing that will bring you peace of mind is to move on. 

When a new boss comes into our lives, it’s only fair that they are given time to assess and establish themselves. As someone who has stepped into this role numerous times, it’s a period of observations for both the new boss and the team. It is during this time that both sides can discern leadership and communication styles. If those styles are not meshing with our own, no amount of managing upwards is going to shift that. 

One thing I always look for during this period is a servant leadership posture. Does this new boss want to serve her team, or does she want to direct her team? Is the new boss willing to listen to her to team, or would she rather set directives and expect the team to follow? To me, a servant leader supports her team and collaborates with them to bring the team’s vision to fruition. 

I once had a boss who touted her commitment to servant leadership and humility. On and on, she’d provide examples of how she was the best at everything, even at being a servant leader. (Yes, she was a one-upper). Yet anytime someone disagreed with her, instead of acting professionally, she would start calling her reports names, deny completely reasonable requests, and become incredibly vindictive in her actions. Not once did this person stand alongside her team and work toward a common goal. In fact, this boss would say things like, “I’m the most expensive person on the team,” and “It’s my job to coach you.” Doesn’t sound very humble, does it? I always joked that she confused humility with hypocrisy, but that is a story for another day.

The point is, being a leader means putting your team above yourself. A leader’s job is not to coach anyone. Rather, it is to support those that are doing the demanding work to make the organization better. A leader problem-solves alongside her team. If you do find yourself in a situation where your style and your manager’s style are jiving, dust off your resume and start applying for new roles. Until that new opportunity arises, be the leader that you would want to be leading you.