Give support

Leaders give support in a way that is meaningful to the recipient.

Let me welcome you to a piece of my life. My husband isn’t that wine and roses type of guy. We rarely exchange presents on special occasions and his cards he gives me are usually funny, not romantic. And he supports me in a way that counts.

Today, that man spent over an hour going through a dry-run of an upcoming presentation I’m doing. I’m using this new voting app and wanted to make sure it worked for my client. Steve sat there and participated in the “voting slides” on both his tablet and mobile so I could see what my audience would see.

Okay, maybe the poolside rum and coke had a little to do with his willingness to comply to my request, but the point is this — he supported me in a way that was really important to me. He knows I’m a perfectionist and want to bring a flawless presentation to my client, and he helped me do exactly that. 

So here’s the question …

What are you doing to support the members of your team? 

What do they really need from you as a leader? Perhaps they want to practice an important presentation, like I did. Maybe they need a kind and patient ear to simply vent, not solve. Or it could be they are looking for possible solutions to a challenge they face.

Whatever your colleagues and teammates are facing now, figure out a way to support them. I know it made a difference for me and it will for you and your colleagues too. By giving and supporting, you make a difference. You really do.