(Originally published May 13, 2023)

If you want to be a good leader, be more like Fred!!!

​In developing leaders, I often think back to leaders I had over me, and one stands out, Fred Crouch. At first glance, Fred isn't one of those who fits our traditional image of a leader - especially back in the '90s when leadership was about projecting a strong image, setting high standards, and holding everyone accountable. I have had plenty of leaders like that, but they aren't the ones who got my best work. Fred did. Do you want to know his magic sauce?

Instead of finding everything I did wrong and bringing that to my attention, Fred found what I did right and praised that. Fred constantly told me all the good things I was doing. He made me feel I could do no wrong. At the time, I was too self-critical and often dismissed his praises - I preferred listening to the negative voices in my head to all the wonderful things Fred said about me. However, all his praises inspired me to work better, not slack off, as the common misconception goes.

Studies show the benefit of focusing on what is going right leads to much more effective change for a few reasons:

Fred constantly showed me opportunities to learn more and improve at what I did. Not only did he find the opportunities, he also ensured funding for me to attend them and made the space in my schedule to take advantage of them. Out of my thirty working years, I attended more professional development under Fred's watch than under any other supervisor.

​Why does this matter? Encouraging employee growth is an example of effective leadership because it attracts the most skilled people and helps with retention and engagement. Surveys have found one of the top reasons people leave jobs is the lack of growth opportunities. By encouraging my growth, Fred enhanced my skills, showed me it was worth staying at that job, and motivated me to try more.

Fred also demonstrated that he liked me as an individual. Fred invited me to dinner at his house and led me on magical tours of his neighborhood. Over the years, we still keep up with occasional messages or calls and visits. I used to think that we wanted to separate business and private life, but our minds and emotions are not siloed. When people feel their leaders care, they are more likely to stay at their jobs and do hard things.

Courses in empathy for leaders are in high demand. One aspect of empathy is presenting an open body language that invites people to open up. As you can see in the cover picture of Fred, he had a wonderful smile, which is almost permanently attached to his face. Every image in my mind of Fred is with that smile. That smile invited me to feel comfortable with him and also was contagious. Smiling can make you feel happier, and when you feel happier, you work better. It also meant he was open to me approaching him with my questions and concerns so that I could learn more and improve my performance.

If you want to get the most from your people, take these lessons from Fred. Smile, get to know them, look for the good in them, help them grow, and show them you care!

Through coaching, we can help you develop these skills. I work with my clients to identify a skill that will have a powerful impact on their business, such as positive focus. We develop an action plan and meet every 2 weeks for accountability and to iterate the plan. We work on finding daily, impactful actions so that they can start to see positive change immediately. Book a 15 minute free discovery call to see if coaching is right for you.