Be like Blair – What we can ALL learn from one of my best bosses

Blair was one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. Resplendent with gaudy red braces, winklepicker shoes and his customary three-piece suit, this Cockney bloke managed to adeptly wrangle a somewhat motley, diverse group of recruiters in South England into one of the top-performing regions in Europe.  We all felt lucky to be part of his team. 

Blair was by no means perfect. He probably partied a bit hard on the weekends (and the odd Christmas party). His paperwork was as sloppy as a toddler eating a pot of yoghurt. And he went into bat for his team with Head Office in a way that was likely career-limiting.

But Blair did something that was both simple yet extraordinary as a leader: 

He never asked us to do something that he wouldn’t do himself. 

In fact, more often than not, he’d be a shining example of the thing he wanted us to do and, here’s the important part, that was the case long before he asked us to do it. 

As a result, the level of trust, respect and loyalty he engendered in us as team was astounding. 

For someone to be effectively leading, others need to be prepared to follow. This fails if leaders are preaching the proverbial water while drinking wine. Intuitively we know that words matter, but that someone’s behaviour matters more. Research also backs this up; when we walk the talk, our actions enhance the credibility of our words. 

If you want to influence someone to do something well, better or differently – model it.

Tell them, sure. But unless you’re doing it yourself, it’s more likely to end in rolled eyes and apathy.

Too many leaders practice the “do as I say, not as I do” approach. And it doesn’t work.

• How can you ask your teams to be brave with feedback if you’re not being courageous and respectful with yours?
• How can you ask people to take a pay cut because “we need to tighten the purse strings” whilst you’re still swanning around with your full salary?
• How can you tell your team to {insert whatever the organisational value is} if you’re not a beacon of that value yourself?  

The next time you ask your team to do something, or to act in a certain way, stop for a minute. 

Pause and ask yourself: if I’m brutally honest, can I think of specific examples in the last month where I have done this myself? 

If you can’t think of at least a few, maybe start there. Do the thing until you’re sure, in your heart of hearts, that you can ask your team to do the same. 

In other words, be more like Blair.