I was watching a TV show the other day (yes, I do watch TV occasionally) where a supervisor (I cannot call him a leader with a good heart) walked into his subordinate’s office and congratulated him on a job well done. He even went on to say that his tactics and approach were exemplary. The conversation literally took all of 30 seconds. Surprised, he thanked him. Then, his supervisor walks in to tell him (the supervisor) that he did an excellent job. He smiled and said thank you. This all happened in front of the subordinate. Imagine his facial reaction and body language!
I’m sure we’ve all experienced similar situations. The guy who sat behind the desk and did nothing took the credit for your team’s work. I’m not sure how you felt or how your team felt. To me, this is actually one of the worst things a leader can do. Granted, as I mentioned, I would not refer to this particular guy as a leader yet, still, it is infuriating.
When our people (see how here I don’t call them subordinates?) trust us, rely on us, and believe in what we tell them, they will go to great lengths to ensure that the job is done and done well. When we betray that trust, often, you will only see the minimum effort. The length they are willing to go is shorter. They are not willing to do anything and everything to work it out. James Kouzes and Barry Posner argued that people must believe that leaders understand their needs and have their interests at heart.
I know that you all know this. I also know that some of the things I say and propose are not new to any of you. However, they are reminders of what your people expect from you. Trust is a fragile thing. We talked about perception previously. What someone perceives will create their idea of who you are. If your actions do not suggest trustworthiness and you take credit for their work, you must realize that you create a break in that trust relationship.
You can not easily recover or mend the relationship when you break the trust. In fact, there is a chance you will never fix it. This is one reason we must be aware of our actions and inactions. People want recognition for what they do. For some, it is easy for them to address a mistake. Yet, they fail to recognize the job well done. If you are or want to be a leader, you must know that we are responsible for recognizing when our people do well.
