Employee Engagement: Leadership is about moving from ‘me’ to ‘we’

One of the hardest obstacles for new managers and leaders to overcome is the shift from 'me” to 'we”.

We live in a 'me” world. If you are unconvinced, check out the number of selfies on Facebook or Instagram.

When I was younger and would visit the homes of my grandparents, one of my favorite activities was to look through the old photo albums that were there. In them, you would see the memories come to life.

I saw my parents as children, aunts and uncles, good friends, and places that had been visited on long past vacations. What I didn't see were photos of my grandparents themselves. To see photos of those people you would have to look in the photo albums of my parents, aunts and uncles, or good friends.

Times were different then. You took pictures of the people and places you wanted to remember. It was about them.

This is where the connection to leadership comes in. As an individual contributor, the value you bring to your organization is primarily derived from the work you do by yourself. You were hired to do a job, you do it exceptionally well, and you are recognized for that work.

Once you are promoted and expected to lead, the nature of your work and the perspectives you bring to the workplace need to shift. You now have to be responsible for other people, and not just yourself.

Two Important Words for Leaders

There are two important words that live in the world of a leader - interdependence and generativity.

Interdependence kicks in the moment you accept the responsibility of leadership. It means that as a leader, you depend on other people and the work they are doing for your success.

By the same token, those people who report to you are looking to you for help, guidance, direction and feedback. In other words, they can't be successful without your help in return. Many new leaders report this interdependence to be one of the most challenging aspects of leadership.

For the person that has been so self-focused for so long, it can be a difficult adjustment to make, and quite frankly, some leaders never get it. The result? They fail miserably.

Generativity comes into play for leaders who are later in their career. The term refers to a person's desire to see the next generation succeed.

For many of us who are in the second half of our lives and careers, this is more important than the personal accolades we received when we were younger. The ability to see someone you have coached, mentored and managed become a good manager and leader themselves is one of the greatest feelings a leader can have.

Can you see the theme here? Leadership is not about what you accomplish or do. It's about what others do. Your job is to help them succeed.

Sometimes this happens because you set a compelling vision and people will commit to following the plan. Sometimes it happens because you coached an employee through a difficult situation or project.

Other times it happens just because you were there to listen to their hopes and dreams. But it's about them.

And if you can't successfully make the shift from a 'me” centered approach to your work to the 'we” centered approach, you will not be seen as an effective leader.

So put down that selfie stick, go out there and take some photos of other people. Help create some memories in your organization by the way you are perceived as a leader.

l Tim Sieck writes about leadership and career development.