Global Leadership Summit 2013: Session 2 – Patrick Lencioni

When you are leader, you are the CRO (Chief Reminding Officer).

People needed to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed – Samuel Johnson

It’s not about a good job or bad job. That lies in the eyes of the beholder. It’s about getting a job that is fulfilling.

Sign of a Miserable Job: Anonymity

Anonymity is one of the key reasons why people leave their job.

When leaders don’t know their people, they treat them like commodities.

If your manager does not care about you, nobody wants to work there.

When you take the time to get to know someone, it makes a difference.

Good people don’t leave jobs where they are known.

When you don’t take time to get to know people as a leader, you might as well take money out of your pocket and throw it in the fire.

What is more important: the first $500 bonus you got or the first email you got from your boss that said you mattered.

So many people say, “Pat, I don’t care about people.” And that’s fine but you should not be a manager.

We are called to love the people who work for us.
If you are in a job where you are anonymous, minister upward. Your boss is probably lonely too. It will change their perspective and they will probably reflect it back to you.

Sign of a Miserable Job: Irrelevance

If you don’t think your job matters to someone, if your job does not make someone’s life better, you cannot love your job.

Some jobs are obvious (ministers, doctors, firefighters).

You are not just cleaning a bedpan, you are bringing dignity to a family at a time that it matters most.

I think Adolph Hitler was born and raised in an airport.

When someone’s job is to help us, we need to celebrate that.

We need to remind people constantly why their job matters.

Sign of a Miserable Job: Immeasurement

All human beings have a need in their lives and in their jobs to know if they are doing a good job. If they are dependent on their boss affirming them, it feels like slavery.

There is a greater job satisfaction in a sales person because they know how they are doing. Same goes for waiter or waitress (they get feedback through the tip).

We can measure the wrong things. Don’t measure things that you cannot control. It’s not just a number that feeds into payroll; it’s about relevance.

It’s a desire to put something in place to know if you are doing a good job.

People need to be able to know that they are succeeding in their area of relevance.

When we intentionally do these things, it is a game changer. More importantly it is a life changer.