How A Leader Treat Their Team Said A Lot About Their Character

Four months ago I was standing in line waiting to cash some items I picked up at the supermarket. A manager stopped one of the guys on the floor and said to him, in full view of everyone in the waiting area, “how could you forget the stuff I ask you for, you don’t use your brain.” I felt pretty awful for the guy because the tone the lady use was disgusting, and anyone looking on could see the embarrassed look on his face.

One can clearly conclude that these people are not being mentored or coach to lead. They are not given the necessary training and have absolutely no people skills. I have seen this time and time again, people who are promoted into a leadership position but unfortunately, they have no clue as to what constitutes great leadership.

But do you know what is even more disturbing, many people believe this type of behavior is typical. Typical for their manager to verbally abuse them, normal to work in an environment of distrust and deceit, or to engage in gossip, or to look for self-preservation at the expenses of everything and everyone.

How you see others is linked to how happy, kind-hearted and emotionally stable you are.

According to new research by a Wake Forest University psychology professor. "Your perceptions of others reveal so much about your own personality," By asking participants to each rate positive and negative characteristics of just three people, the researchers were able to find out important information about the rater's well-being, mental health, social attitudes and how they were judged by others.

The researchers found a person's tendency to describe others in positive terms is an important indicator of the positivity of the person's own personality traits. They discovered particularly strong associations between positively judging others and how enthusiastic, happy, kind-hearted, courteous, emotionally stable and capable the person describes oneself and is described by others.

"Seeing others positively reveals our own positive traits"

In contrast, negative perceptions of others are linked to higher levels of narcissism and antisocial behavior. "A huge suite of negative personality traits are associated with viewing others negatively," Wood says. "The simple tendency to see people negatively indicates a greater likelihood of depression and various personality disorders."

Never Try To Make Yourself Great By Making Someone Else Look Small. 

The moment you think you have the right to belittle others because you are better than they are is the moment you prove you have no power according to Lolly Daskal. People tend to make others feel how they themselves feel, whether it's great or small. The way a leader label, judge, and value the people around them, lets us have a glimpse into their personality and even your self-esteem.

Treat Your Employees As Well As You Do Your Best Customers

Entrepreneur Richard Branson, who is celebrated for running incredibly successful companies built around happy workforces, writes: “Your employees are your company’s real competitive advantage. They’re the ones making the magic happen–so long as their needs are being met.”

When you enter into the realm of leadership, you are in the business of people. Inspiring and motivating people to get things done. You lead by example, and you are comfortable with the uncertainty that leadership can bring and as such you are flexible in adapting to new challenges and nimble in adjusting to sudden change. 

According to Mike Myatt CEO of N2growth. “If you think leadership is about you, oh boy, your ego has led you astray. Leadership has little to do with you and everything to do with those you lead. If you think leadership is about the bottom line, think again; it’s about the people. Without people, there is no bottom line.”

Leaders who have high standards not only for themselves but for others continually learn how to improve performance, along with their team. They see opportunity in situations where others see setback and lead others positively to create an atmosphere of respect, helpfulness, and cooperation. People in leadership positions who always use negative and critical labels against people show their own inner emptiness and lack of self-esteem which is extremely detrimental for any organization. 

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About Gifford Thomas

I am the founder of Leadership First and the author of The Inspirational Leader, Inspire Your Team To Believe In The Impossible. At Leadership First, we are committed to publishing the very best inspirational leadership quotes and articles to inspire our 125,000+ community of leaders to believe in the impossible, while creating an environment free from toxic, fearful and intimidating leadership. We believe everyone can and should enjoy their work, but it must start with the leadership leading by example. Follow our community of leaders HERE, and let's change the leadership status quo to help inspire and motivate our leaders to make a difference and create an organization their people will love. 

You can download a copy of my book The Inspirational Leader and Inspire Your Team To Believe In The Impossible by clicking on the word inspirational below:

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