Three years ago, Daniel Abrahams wrote a LinkedIn post about his personal story at his workplace, reposted below.
I left the office at 1pm.
In the morning, I told my team I’d be leaving early.
I didn’t say I had a client meeting, or a doctor’s appointment.
I told them the truth
I was going to watch my daughter receive an award at her school assembly.
Why?
Because I’m human.
I’m not trying to impress people how hard I work.
I prefer to build an open and transparent culture.
As a leader, it starts with me.
No one should hide their personal life at work, or apologise for it.
Do you need to pick the kids up from school?
Go for it.
Need to be home to accept a delivery of your new couch?
Awesome. Text me a picture.
We’re all human. Let’s be real about our lives.As long as we:
— Get the work done
— Deliver what we say
— Keep growing our clients’ businesses
Let’s be authentic with each other on the journey
I personally can’t agree more, supporting Daniel Abraham’s post 💯
🚫Keeping an eye out for small things that employees do (such as whether or not they are always at their desks, whether or not they are always on their computers during working hours), as well as gossiping about employee behavior to the upper management team and criticizing the employee in public rather than having a one-on-one open discussion, are just a few examples of things that usually happen in the corporate (office-based) workplace.
🚫Most “bosses” appear to be very busy when an internal review from upper management or his/her side is required, but they are also apparently BUSY keeping an eye on and gossiping about their employees. They micromanage their employees rather than focusing on the big picture of employee performance: *) Get the work done, *) Deliver what we say, *) Maintain positive growing our clients’ businesses.
💡Academic record and long years of working experience do not make someone a “leader.” We don’t need insecure leaders to show that we have the power and authority to validate ourselves. It’s OK to be a human, and it’s OK to show our vulnerability to others; it takes courage even to put ourselves in their shoes and humanely approach them. We simply cannot expect our team members to show us the best version of themselves and respect us if we continue micromanaging them and undermining their feelings. Keep in mind that everything begins with passion, which includes emotion, feeling, and compassion, which then transforms into a solid, happy, positive environment.
Speaking about happiness, what truly makes us happy? A happy, secure leader surely creates a happy community.
📌 Statistically speaking, only two are described as a source of greatest happiness by a majority: “my physical health and well-being” (54%), followed closely by “my mental health and well-being” (53%), this year. (According to IPSOS, Game Changer, “ A 30-country global advisor survey,” April 2022). Our physical health is directly tied to our mental health, so how can we be the best and happiest versions of ourselves if our inner soul isn’t cherished?
📎The truth is: It is not our boss’s responsibility, nor is it the responsibility of our family members, partners, or anyone else. It is entirely our responsibility to have complete freedom to make our own choices and decisions in life in order to be happy — and this may necessitate putting ourselves first above all else. And for this, we are not selfish but self-full!
There is a saying: One can never fill another person’s cup when his or her own is empty, and so it is. Instead of being “hurt people hurting others”, let’s change the game: let’s all be a “wounded healer”!
❓How do we make a better world? because apparently, this has become almost every company’s motto.
As grand as it may sound, as complex as what we know exists within our planet, regardless, never overlook small acts of kindness; small things matter! and once again, just in case we forgot already, it’s OK to be a human 🕊
What do you think?
#bealeaderbehuman #leadership #authenticity #beauthentic