Donna Moore


How often have you ended the workday feeling satisfied with what you’ve accomplished? Have you ever reflected on your drive or walk home from work and partitioned in your mind where you spent your time? Ever wondered what percentage of your day was spent making a difference for others?


Every day as leaders we make choices on how we spend our time. Sometimes, our days are so busy that we don’t have time for lunch with a colleague or for a longer hallway conversation with a resident. Our to-do list is waiting, we have deadlines approaching, and someone just called with an urgent request. We make choices, get consumed by tasks, and often don’t have time for our main job.


The main job of a leader is to develop other leaders. Welch said it, Drucker said it, Maxwell said it, Gates said it. And Brene Brown said it, so it must be true.


For me, this means connecting, being courageous, asking questions, and investing in others.


It


means bringing your whole self to work every day and being available to those who need support. It means teaching, listening, caring, coaching, guiding, and affirming. Listening and caring in capital letters. Meaningful connection with your tribe; connection with the people who take care of your residents.


Develop others through connection. People know if their leaders care about them beyond their work results. An employee can tell if we are actively engaged in their success at work and in their life outside of work. They can tell if we are actively listening or distracted by the incoming message on our Apple watch. They can tell if we are listening and putting them first by not answering the phone that is ringing. They can tell if we are distracted. They know if you know them, what their purpose is, and why they come to work every day. Creating a culture of connection for your employees will help them fulfill their purpose and engage with others.


Develop others through questions, not answers. How often do leaders tell their teams what to do and how to do it? Probably too often because it’s quick, it’s convenient, and it requires little effort. It’s easy for us to tell others how to “go do” rather than “go think.” Challenge your team to think through situations and alternatives by asking open-ended questions such as: What are you trying to achieve? What outcome do you want? What are the issues that are black and white versus shades of grey? What do you think is the right approach? How do you want to handle it? There is power in asking questions and requiring your own leaders to think through their situations.


Develop others by being courageous. It takes courage to lead! Courage to sit down and talk with another leader on your team and give them what they need to hear, feedback in a loving way, help them correct their course. Courage to help them to grow, or become more self-aware. Additionally, leaders should strive to become more courageous in allowing others to take the lead, to grow, to fail, and to learn from missteps. Courage to trust the outcomes may not be exactly how you’d do it and courage to accept the outcome of someone else. This gives them the chance to grow on their own and build their self-confidence. Give them room to create and learn by doing for themselves.


Develop others by investing. Share your talents, give away your knowledge, and teach. Lend a hand when someone is struggling, be present, reassure your leaders that they will get there if they keep trying and they won’t if they don’t! Celebrate and congratulate often. Hold or shake their hand at times. Or, in this era of COVID, bump elbows or give air high fives. Investing in your people allows you to lead them. Let them know you’ve got their back, especially when they make a mistake.


Being a leader is a conscious choice. Be present with your growing leaders, don’t answer the ringing phone, and return the call to the vendor in the morning. You’ve got priorities!


Donna enjoys Wordle, Mondays, gardening, and a good challenge. She believes “you gotta love ‘em to lead ‘em.”


Get connected with Donna on LinkedIn 9


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