I've had a couple of good things happen to me over the past 7 days. Actually, I've had more than a couple things, but two stand out in relation to today's leadership topic.


First, I was informed that Mitch's Blog made the Center for Management And Organizational Effectiveness' Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs of 2018. I'm sitting in position #99, which isn't bad since I didn't even know they existed, and because I also found out I was on the list the two years previous. I'm thankful for that because this blog doesn't get a lot of comments, but one of its criteria is the amount of shares, which means people have liked it enough to share it with others; thanks to all of you.

Second, I ran into someone today who told me that she enjoyed watching a few of my videos. I didn't even know she was on LinkedIn, which is where she found them. I have to admit I was a little bit stunned because I didn't even think she knew my business name, but it was nice of her to say something about it along with saying she liked how I said what I had to say and how she thought I was poised; how about that?

There are times when all of us wonder whether anything we're doing is making a difference in both our own lives and the lives of others. We might not get enough positive feedback or encouragement to let us know that anyone's listening and learning from us. For instance, out of the 12 previous articles here, I've received comments on only 5 of them, and on two of those 5 I only got one comment.

That's the kind of thing that could make one think that no one was paying attention and that blogging is a major waste of time. It could get me to thinking that talking and writing about leadership is also a major waste of time if no one's paying any attention to it.

Then suddenly, totally unexpected, someone says something nice about the work out of the blue and I'm reminded why I create all these things I do in the first place.

It also proves that there are people reading and watching and listening who might generally be lurking and not saying anything while taking in what you have to say. I had that reinforced recently when I received a comment on my post about dwelling on the negative where the writer said she and a friend had been reading my blog for years and she finally wanted to say something about it. It made me feel good and useful, and helps to encourage me to continue on my quest; yay for me! 🙂

It's because of things like this that, when I was a hospital director, I'd go out of my way to find things to say to others with the intention of encouraging them so they'd not only feel good but would continue trying to keep improving. I do the same when I'm on consulting assignments; anytime you can get someone on your side it helps improvement move quicker.

I'd be hard pressed to believe that there isn't a single person out there who doesn't appreciate when someone enjoys what they do and tells them about it. It doesn't even have to be anything big; tell someone you've noticed that they've lost some weight and they might be smiling the rest of the day, even if it's not actually true.

There are many imperatives when it comes to leaders. Making sure employees are educated is the top priority. Making sure they know they've got your support is the second priority. Making sure you can keep them motivated and encouraged should be your third priority.

If you can't find something encouraging to say to everyone who works for you from time to time, it either means it's time to get rid of some employees or it's time to change your perspective. Either way, if you're in a leadership position it's all on your shoulders.

Which way would you rather lead? What do you want from your employees? Answer these two questions and you'll either find your way to the top or your way out of a job.