Scott Harris

This is part 2 of Introverted Leader Week…

I love people! I really do! And I love being with them!

But as a introvert, I give more than I get when I’m in a group. To make it more complicated, as a leader you’re never really “off the clock”. I used to fight against this reality but it’s an effort in futility. So what is an introverted leader to do?

Give to yourself through solitude and whatever fuels your soul. I read in one of Bill Hybels books that a leader should invest at least 50% of his/her time in their own development. You owe it to your team and the organization you lead to take care of yourself. The most important thing you can give to your team is your energy (again, Bill Hybels said that somewhere).

Schedule it and protect it!

Anyone who has paid back all the salary he’s received for the last 25 years and gives away 90 percent of his annual income deserves to be listened too.

It’s quite long but definately worth the read.

Enjoy

As a leader, I need a steady stream of current, up-to-the-minute information. It’s critical to making wise decisions. However, it’s likely that I’m the last to hear any such info.

Why is this? Here’s a few reasons:

1. People assume you already know. After all, you’re the leader, you know everything right?
2. People don’t want to burden you.
3. People don’t want to give you bad news.

Here’s a few suggestions for increasing your odds of receiving the info when you need it:

1. Reward people for informing you by letting them know how they helped.
2. Don’t punish those who give you bad news by reacting inappropriately.
3. Make sure you keep confidences.

The leadership of Granger use a campfire metaphor to help their leaders understand their responsibility to provide leadership to their teams and the importance of span of care.

In other words, you are reponsible to care for those on your team but you can only care for so many.

A campfire can only warm a few, usually 6-8 fit around its warmth. There’s no second row.

There’s a phrase that’s been spinning in my brain:

Do the right things right.

I can’t be all things to all people. I can’t even be most things to some people. But I can choose today what only I can do, delegate other things, and choose to not even attempt anything else.