As a Manager, Director, Supervisor and whatever other title you and I have today, it is a sad reality that it can get easy to Lead by Sitting Down. No! It gets VERY easy to Lead by Sitting Down and that is completely unacceptable.
What is Leading by Sitting Down?
Leading by sitting down is what happens when managers, directors, or supervisors become complacent. When we truly believe the best way to lead is by picking up the telephone, sending off an email, sending a fax, or worse: sending someone to do the work for us. We dictate by sitting in our chairs and hoping that things are done then truly expect to hold others accountable at the first sign of trouble.
Seriously, the only time we get off our respective ass is when we get up to get another cup of coffee, or go to lunch, go home for the day, or the weekend.
If someone has not told you, let me be the first: YOU ARE NOT LEADING. Plain and simple: You are barely managing.
You cannot fake Leading when you are Leading by Sitting Down.
If someone told you it is OK to “lead by sitting down”, even occasionally, well that someone is WRONG.
As tempting as it can be, you have to get out there and walk around. Get out there and press the palm of your hand against the palm of the hand of all your stakeholders. That is what a Leader does.
A leader will get out there and make things happen. A leader by being present will encourage others to make things happen. Good things.
However, remember it will not be easy. It goes with the job.
As a leader, you will do things that are NOT easy. Remember, easy does not play into grown up life. Easy is never easy. Doing the easy thing always has a price that must be paid. That price is "losing touch with your staff, your customers, your clients, your stakeholders" and once lost it is very difficult to recover.
Over the years, many of us experienced those kind of managers and supervisors. Let those managers and supervisors serve as cautionary tales. Do not be that kind of manager, instead get up, start walking and start leading. That is the only way to avoid the temptation of Leading by Sitting Down
Thank you,
David Guerra
I invite you to follow me on Twitter: @daveguerra • visit my website: www.daveguerra.com
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