“I really struggled because my team was only expecting me to do my job- to be their manager- 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞. ⁣”

“Now, unless you’re Logan Roy*, you probably don’t enjoy having to take your employees to task. However, not doing so can cost you time, resources, money and potentially, the respect and trust of your employees.“

Over this past year, I have sat down with hundreds of business owners, executives, emerging leaders, managers and every title in-between from companies across New Zealand and Australia. These individuals come from different industries, backgrounds, skill sets, personalities, passions and pay grades. However, despite their vast differences, certain themes have continued to pop up in our strategy and coaching sessions.

“The thing is, there are years for growing and there are years for blooming.

I can normally tell a person’s answer from their reaction right after I ask the question. The person who dives right in and starts to drum off their goals is in a period of growth. They aren’t settled where they are and are looking for more (whether they’re ready for it not- but that’s a difference discussion!). The person who ceases eye contact, looks down and hesitates to answer is most likely in a period of blooming, and that should be celebrated.”

On paper, this manager did a lot of things right. They took the time out to meet with their team. They asked questions. They helped to set goals and provide support for those goals.

However, this manager did not have the Emotional Intelligence to see beyond their own definition of "success"…