Have you considered how well you are connected to your tribe?  A few weeks ago, I flew to Orlando to spend a week with friends and colleagues with the John Maxwell Team.  The first day was spent as part of the President’s Advisory Council.

Paul Martinelli, the president of the John Maxwell Team, realized how important it is to have eyes and ears on the inside of his organization and selected 15 members of the team to provide feedback on the “state of the tribe.”

Putting into real life application some of the lessons we have been taught, we collaborated on:

• What do we need to start?
• What do we need to stop?
• What do we need to do more of?
• What do we need to do less of?

As I have reflected on that day, I realize how important it is for any leader to occasionally take “the pulse” of those he is leading.  The question I have is how many leaders are actually doing this, and doing it with the intent to really listed to what is being said.

The final tally is still to be heard but some changes have already been announced and are underway.  In Paul’s words, “The PAC has spoken and we have listened.”

Here are a few of my thoughts on why this example of leadership is so important:

VISION

For any business there is a vision.  It is the leaders responsibility to cast that vision in such a way that the tribe understands what the vision is and embraces it moving forward.  Sharing your vision as a leader is the only way that vision can be achieved effectively.

CHANGE

Within any organization, there will be change.  Leaders can only see this change from the chair they sit in.  Collaborating with your tribe allows for new perspective.  You will hear the things you can’t hear from where you are and see the things you can’t see.

ENTHUSIASM

It doesn’t matter what business you are in, eventually people become complacent and the attitude of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” takes over.  A leader needs to keep his people thinking outside the box and the best way to process through new ideas and thinking is to collaborate with the team.  A leader needs feedback – both good and bad.

GROWTH

Most businesses target a certain level of growth.  In most cases, growth either falls short or exceeds what was anticipated.  A leader needs to make adjustments along the way and be able to navigate the course correction that is needed to continue to move forward in a positive direction.

STRATEGY

Today we have a strategy.  The events that happen tomorrow may require a modification to that strategy.  A leader needs to know and understand the condition of his team in order to make the correct adjustments to the strategy in order for it to work.  The only way to know how the team is doing is to ask them.

The bottom line is that for a leader to lead successfully, he must know what his team is thinking.  He must focus on the condition and capabilities of his team’s potential and navigate in a way to best utilize the resources available.

If you are a leader, the question becomes “Do you know what your tribe is thinking?” If you are part of the tribe, “Does your leader know what you are thinking?”

The question for everyone … If no one knows what you are thinking, does it really matter anyway?

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Barry Smith   www.buildingwhatmatters.com      3/4/13            photo by JMT Staff