PART 6

Everyone Is Important, but No One Is Required

In business and in life, we must remember to focus on the number one requirement of humans: the need to feel significant and appreciated. That comes from respect more than rewards and trophies. Yet how are leaders in the middle respecting those who deliver high-performance results and exceed their expectations in the present if they don't demand the same thing of others who have succeeded in the past but have grown complacent? How are they serving their bosses and companies if they aren't constantly pushing the team to get better, including “building a bench” for the future? Yes, everyone needs to feel significant, appreciated, and respected, but no one is entitled to anything; everyone is important, but no one is required.

Think that sounds disloyal? It's not. Leaders' loyalty to their people should be based on contribution, not tenure: what they're doing, not what they've done. Leaders in the middle who have a serve up/coach down mindset understand this. Coaching and serving conveys respect and appreciation for everyone they work with and for, and it makes them feel significant. It also holds everyone accountable to high-performance results, including themselves! Because if leaders feel they are too valuable or have earned the right to no longer serve or coach, then they must consider if they are not being accountable to themselves and have lost their will to lead.