How to Win As a Leader

Provider: Your strength is that we trust you will be there for us. You are with us. You will protect us, support us, and advocate for us. We all rely on you.

• We remain loyal to you because we know you care deeply about our experience. Guard this trust. It is your most valuable leadership asset.

• We follow you because we know you never leave anybody behind. We stay with you because of this but only because you also ensure that our strengths are being put to use in pursuit of the goal. We won’t follow simply to follow—we have to feel like valued contributors. Take the time to tell us why we are special.

• Keep building your base of supporters. You need a strong, trustworthy management team around you. These people are like family to you—and this takes work to maintain. Maintain it, because with it you will be at your most powerful. Without it, you will feel surprisingly vulnerable.

• You are adaptable. If things go off plan, see the new possibilities this provides. When you demonstrate that you aren’t attached to one way of doing things, you free us to call on our strengths to find the solution. This unstructured, open-minded approach supports flexibility and speed in doing what needs to be done to serve our clients.

• Whether it’s a chaotic meeting, an angry client, or a mechanical mishap, tap into your talent for tenacity. Knowing that you’ll stand by us and support us through the challenging parts of the day gives us the strength to push through.

• Share stories of success. You notice the wins, particularly those that involve people. Make sure we hear about them too. This will reinforce our loyalty.