How can we lead with love? What is true leadership? And must we have a position of authority to be a leader? In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, guest Chance Stewart defines effective servant leadership and gives real and raw advice about how to know whether you’re actually leading or you’re simply “in charge.” If just one person learns to lead with love, this podcast episode has done its job.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Chance Stewart’s leading-with-love approach is informed by his grandfather, an ironworker who lived to love people. Chance’s grandfather taught him that if we’re not taking care of people, then the rest of our efforts to “do something” in this world really don’t matter. As a servant leader and speaker on leadership development, Chance now carries on his grandfather’s legacy in both his personal and professional life. When it comes to the workplace, he’s passionate about helping organizations turn a culture of dysfunction into a culture of success.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, Sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
TOP TIP FROM THIS EPISODE
What is leadership?
Maybe it’s self-driven. Maybe it’s to get people to move in a desired direction to reach a certain goal. Maybe it’s about the numbers. According to Chance Stewart, “leadership looks like something different to every single person.” One thing is for certain though: a leadership role and “a position of authority” are not the same thing.
In this episode, Chance asks us to reflect on what makes someone a true leader. If someone believes in you enough to follow you, this honor should not be taken lightly. And since leadership is a “gift that somebody else gives you,” then you must take responsibility for the needs and betterment of those you lead.
“It’s hard to explain, but when you’re in the midst of good leadership, everyone in the room can see it and feel it.”
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Missing the point
“The second you have to say, How do I get people to do what I want them to do? rather than How do I get them to follow me? or How do I help them do this?, you’ve already missed the point.”
Who you are and who you want to be
“When you start picking who you’re working for, you’re probably not going to be effective because if you’re only working for your employees, your community, your shareholders, other people are going to suffer. Or, if you’re only doing it for the shareholders, 100% of your employees are going to suffer. So you really have to be specific about who you are and how you want to be because this whole conversation about leadership […] can’t begin with them or they. It has to start with who I am and how I want to be in this new world.”
The ones who hold it all together
“Those people we’re really talking about most of the time wouldn’t consider themselves leaders. That’s not what they’re there for. They’re there for people — to spread good feelings and happiness and family and love. And it’s important to remember that we don’t need a position of authority. That’s not what leadership is about. Again, it’s something that’s easier to feel than it is to see.”
Becoming better
“How do people become better? Because you’re there? How are they reaching new heights? Are they better because of your influence? So if you’re doing a job and the people around you aren’t better because of you, then what are you doing? You could be there, clocking in clocking out, making your money, having your insurance. And that’s good. But if you want to do more, then you have to ask, how am I making people better? And a lot of the time, that’s by disagreeing with them or by challenging them.”
The human connection
“We talk about the individual, the individual, the individual — that’s not how this whole situation was brought together. That’s not how people are meant to be. We are not individuals, whether we want to believe it or not. […] America likes to think we are, but we are part of a global society, a global economy that will never change.”
“I believe that we are all connected by something. You can call it a collective unconscious. God. Whatever it is when one of us is in pain, we all feel it. We are all in a little bit of pain right now, so we’re all feeling it. But at the same time, when we do good things for others, we feel that too.”
All about relationships
“Leadership is about chaos and relationships and change. Most people don’t want to say ‘love’ in the workplace, but you can have love for people. It doesn’t mean you touch them, it doesn’t mean you invade their personal space, but you can say, ‘I care about you as a person, as an employee, and I appreciate you.’ And that’s what really leadership is about. Over the years, I’ve realized that the better relationships I’ve had with people — the more respect, the more engagement — the better results I got.”
Our response to challenges
“The only thing that we can control is our reaction or response to the world around us. We can’t control COVID. We can’t control if our kids are pissed off, if they’re sleeping. We can’t control all our spouses […]. None of that is within our control. Leadership is about making this decision: am I going to have a reaction or am I going to have a response? Our response is a powerful thing.”
LEARN MORE
Find out more about Chance Stewart and leading with love by going to his website, chancedstewart.com. You can also find him on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. He invites all of you to have a chat with him or send him a good meme.