My time working up the corporate ladder taught me many valuable lessons about being a respected leader. One of them was not how to help your colleagues. It seems incredible that not so long ago this was such a non-issue. People were expected to help themselves. Today, it’s an important leadership trait, one that will get you noticed fast.
I drew on my experience as a certified PADI rescue diver with hundreds of logged dives. Part of my training was to spot fellow divers who needed help, before their situation degraded into a life-threatening one. So, I was always willing to provide assistance. To adjust a piece of equipment. To be close and offer a comforting word. And to provide emergency response in case underwater accidents occurred.
Back in the office, I eventually resolved to adopt this; to try to subtly ‘rescue’ people whom I thought were struggling. This is why I think it will help your career and not harm it.
Soliciting Feedback Builds Trust
People aren’t talking about it, so it must not be an issue, right? Wrong. More now than ever, people are stressed. Watch the signs. Many people aren’t comfortable sharing about their mental issues or caregiving responsibilities in the workplace. They're worried about being judged and possibly penalised professionally. I made a point to share my fears and my situations, knowing that my behaviour would be a model to others. Even if they didn’t say anything at first, I found that they were more likely to come forth to ask for help later. But if I hadn’t shared, they would’ve clammed up. And more importantly, this adds to your trustworthiness as a leader since people will know that you care.
Management Takes Notice
I encourage helping people eliminate non-value-added activities and connect each of their work to the company’s mission and objectives. I was an early adopter of digitisation in one of my previous jobs. I hated seeing my directs glue their claimed receipts on A4 paper for manual calculation and submission. It was such a waste of paper and time. I introduced Expensify to the Finance and HR departments, showing them how much time would be saved per year if my entire marketing and content teams used it. We adopted it and pretty much convinced the entire company to do so too. That got me noticed by senior management since their number one imperative is to find ways to cut costs, without sacrificing head-count.
You Gain Credibility
My personal opinion is that good leadership examples spread through the company grapevine and get you noticed. It’ll start with the peers of your directs and soon, your own peers too. Then the department heads themselves. The best part is that people will be more willing to help you later on when you might need help instead. Consider these the positive outcome of your proactive actions, and not the reasons to actually act in the first place.
A Word Of Caution
You should refer employees in particularly distressing situations to professional counsellors in the company or outside, especially if you don’t feel qualified to help. It’s too much to take it upon yourself in the long run, especially if you manage several people. Like the Expensify situation, I championed HR to provide employees with resources they need. And there’s no shortage of companies out there that provide employee benefits. In situations where they weren’t available, I told my directs to expense it and I’d immediately approve when submitted. No questions asked. But I made sure I told my superiors about it and why it would help the company instead of hurt it.
Of course, it helps if you’re already doing great work at your company. If you’re struggling or in the middle of a tough patch, then you should rightly focus on your individual priorities first. But when things are going great, be generous and look around. Do it humbly. Helping others doesn’t just make you feel good, it helps the company. And that’s where it helps you in return. Smart senior management will soon do whatever it takes to keep you in the company and even promote you.
Disagree? Drop me a note at editor@theboardroom.life and I'd be glad to hear why you think so.