One rainy day during the American Revolutionary War, George Washington rode up to a group of soldiers attempting to raise a wooden beam to a high position.
The corporal in charge was shouting encouragement, but the soldiers couldn’t get the beam in position.
After watching their lack of success, Washington asked the corporal why he didn’t join in and help, to which the corporal replied, “don’t you realise that I am the corporal in charge here?”
Very politely, General Washington replied, “I beg your pardon, Corporal, I did.”
Washington dismounted his horse and went to work with the soldiers to get the oak beam into position.
As they finished, General Washington was wiping perspiration from his face, and said “If you should need help again, call on Washington, your Commander-in-Chief here, and I will come” (Maxwell, 2011).
Too many managers act like bosses barking orders. And all the while, they think that they are acting like responsible leaders.
In addition, managers will often focus just on the task and the bottom line. Teams and individuals can get left behind in the process.
You don’t engage your people by just giving commands, you do it by getting amongst them. Quite often, the constraints of time and work to be done demands “all hands on deck.” It’s about building trust and sometimes when your team is stuck solving a problem they need their managers to coach, mentor and teach them what to do and how to do it.
Now that’s leadership.
To your success…
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I’m passionate about inspiring people to tap into their unique talents and strengths – to be the best they can be – to fulfill the potential they always knew they had. It’s not about ‘fixing’ you. Rather, it’s about helping you access the best part of yourself so you’re able to make the changes, release the dragons and powerfully step into your brilliance.
If you are interested in performance coaching, try my free 20-minute introductory session. Just contact me and I’ll arrange a time and date for us to chat by phone or face-to-face.
Get in touch TODAY by email or call my office on +44 (0)20 8798 3433.
Mark Russell Inspired Performance Coaching – Dedicated to Your Success.
