Repair and Restore, Inc….

Today, one of my new clients and I connected.  We connected over something basic.  Isn’t this so often the case.  We either connect or disconnect over seemingly small things.  

Every leader, regardless of their business, needs to imagine that they have a new start up company.  Think of it as another division or another company completely separate from the one you run.  A really cool, high performance company that they can’t wait to build even stronger.  This start up will be a huge money maker only because it’s work is hugely MEANINGFUL.  The name of their “start up” is Repair and Restore, Inc.  

Here’s why.

Every team performs based on the quality of it’s relationships.  All relationships have conflict.  Lots of it. Most leaders “resolve” conflict by brushing it under the rug.  By ignoring it and hoping that it will just go away.  Oddly enough, it mostly does.  The key word is mostly.

Transformational leaders understand that they must take the lead in starting the repair process.  They initiate.  They do not wait for their spouse, their top performers, their directs, or anybody else to grab the leading role.  Transformational leaders do NOT “blow it off.”  instead, they suck it up and move into the conflict.  

They lead with two simple, yet somewhat old fashioned words.  

“I’m sorry.”

They take responsibility for their part in the mess.  They lead with their humility, in my case, one of my most underutilized ASSETS!  They stop worrying that this will make them perceived as weak.  They stop extrapolating that this weakness will lead to people taking advantage of them.  They understand that it WILL…and they’re  OK with that.  They understand that it WILL also be the very thing that makes them human and that will be the catalyst for other team members to “go through the wall” with them.  Very cool.

They simply understand that to be a leader means to be the CEO of Repair and Restore, Inc.

That is simply the way it is.  

They, just like my new client, get busy repairing and restoring the relationships that matter.

What relationship do you want to restore?

What are you doing to grab the reins?

Why do you think that it’s NOT your responsibility to repair?

Why are you waiting?

Where is your PRIDE in all of this?

Slow down and reflect.