This, like so many concepts, is so very powerful... so very simple... so very comprehensive...
And, so very difficult to fully embrace and leverage.
It is what makes us GREAT as a business and as people.
And, it is what makes collaboration, growth, and success as a team or a company so EXTREMELY CHALLENGING.
What do YOU care about?
We all DO what we care about
and DON'T do what we don’t care about…
How do we DO better on the things we don’t care so much about? How do we help others do the same?
Is this important?
Some people care about the technical part – but don’t so much about the logistical part.
Some people care about the logistical part – but not so much about the technical part.
Some people care about the people part…
Some people care about the HR part… AND, even within just the HR part... there are more parts..
Some people care about the liability part…
Some people care about the regulatory part…
Some people care about the benefits part… BUT, I digress...
Within the Technical part...
Some people care about the architectural part…
Some people care about the mechanical part…
Some people care about the technology part…
Some people care about the content part…
Some people care about the details of the building
Some people care about the so whats of the program…
And, then onto the bigger picture...
Some people care about selling it…
Some people care about doing it…
Some people care about not re-doing it…
Some people care about doing what we said we were going to do…
Some people care about the last deal…
Some people care about this deal…
Some people care about the next deal…
Some people care about making money...
Some people care about not making mistakes...
How do you line up what people care about, and line up people themselves?
How often do YOU think about what people care about? Is there anything more important?
As a leader, how often are you lost in your own thoughts about what you care about, instead of in the mindset of aligning the CARE and CONCERN of our teams, our companies?
Because if all you add, is one more thing to care about to the list... are you helping?
And, as leaders its our jobs to make those two things overlap!
And for many people – they care about what they care about with the company’s best interest in mind…
And for many people – they care about what they care about with their own best interest in mind….
THE CONCEPT OF CARE is WHAT MAKES US SO GREAT… THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT SO HARD!
That is why I love and respect and am attracted to people with passion... people who care. Even if they care about things I don't care about...
THEY BRING ENERGY - and if I can tap into that energy and channel it... we all benefit.
As long as they are not CARING about anything that contradicts my values - I am IN!
As leaders – our job
is to WEAVE together these varied interests and skill sets… to weave together the concerns and the care of our team... into a beautiful and effective singular concern that drives the vision of the company in a careful and profitable way...
And, along the way - we must learn to RESPECT what people care about.
I don't really care about my timesheet. It's not important to me.
BUT, I respect that it is an essential part of running our engine smoothly, and giving us the ability to analyze what we are doing... So, I make sure it gets done.
NOT because I care about that THING, but because I understand how it plays into the thing I DO CARE about.... and I RESPECT the people who CARE about it and want to do right by them.
As leaders, it is our job
is to expand the capacity "to care" of each of the different teams within our company – investing and expecting the greatest expansion to come from our current leaders and coaches, and the up and coming leaders…
How do you IDENTIFY in interviews and in your company, those people WHO CARE? Because the ones who care, are the FIRST ones to CARE MORE...
and then figure out how to help them grow…
BECAUSE THOSE WHO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO GROW THEIR CARE ULTIMATELY GROW THEIR ROLES AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITY…
And, virtually EVERYBODY wants to GROW...
They just don't realize that TO GROW... they MUST expand their ability TO CARE MORE and RESPECT MORE...
I find many leaders grow by SEEING MORE... they come to understand other parts of the company, other "care and concerns" that people have... And then, they use their power & position to STEAM ROLL over those other concerns...
Discounting, and in my opinion, disrespecting, those other critical components of the company which if discounted in time, will materially hurt the overall mission they are on.
At EMG, "Honest and CARING above all" is our first value.
I don't think everyone gets WHY I push for CARING so passionately... so continuously...
I work to CARE and grow CARE and respect and understanding... EVERY DAY... with EVERYTHING that I do. If I can tap into the CARE... The better that I tap into the FUEL that will propel us forward...
How do you gauge someone’s capacity to care?
How do you figure out what each person cares about?
How do you build respect between different teams with different concerns?
What is WORTH caring about? If not this?....
These are the questions that I wake up to in my mind...
Because I sincerely care about people, I work to understand and CARE about what they CARE ABOUT... the more I can embrace their concern... the more they trust me...
AND, THE MORE THEY ARE LIKELY TO HEAR ME WHEN I ASK THEM TO CARE ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE!!!!
TO CARE...
We must FIRST RESPECT, which means we must share values...
We must ULTIMATELY UNDERSTAND, how others' concerns are ultimately inter-twined to deliver our own needs...
We must SHOW UP GRATEFUL for others who care passionately about those things, we don't care so much about... because TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER.
If everyone in the company CARED only about what I care about... we would not produce a great product... we would not grow... we would not thrive...
It is my respect for them,
My understanding of the value that they bring,
And, my gratitude for having them on my team...
That MAKES IT POSSIBLE for me to LEAD us... To ALIGN OUR CONCERNS... OUR DREAMS...
To OVERLAP what is important in their lives, with what is important to us as a company...
And, NOT to make them CHOOSE between them.
The MAGIC... The POWER... The STRENGTH is seldom in the SELECTION of - but almost always in the MARRIAGE of competing passion...
There is a balance.
The CARE and PASSIONS of people CANNOT fragment us in every direction.
They must FUEL us in a SINGULAR direction.
That is our greatest challenge as leaders... as business people... and possibly as human beings...
NOT to align behaviors on a SINGULAR mission behind a singular set of values...
But to align our multiple CARES and CONCERNS on a singular vision...
INTO A SINGULAR PASSION...
It is what makes great...
It is what we will never achieve... because the world and people are fluid...
It is what we must be WANTING to achieve and WORKING to achieve...
In EVERY moment...
with every note...
to achieve the greatest HARMONY!
CARING about HARMONY!
CARING about YOU!
Nestor