Confidence, Leadership, and Trust... Part 1

There were over 50 of us together at a training in Michigan. After about 6 hours of sharing, testimonials and a non-stop Q & A., we went to eat and fellowship.  As you probably already know, there is always an official and unofficial ‘Leader’ at every gathering or get together.  There was a couple who were the ‘Leaders’, (on paper) they hit the top company position and were poised to set a few company records in the near future.  As we were winding down, I noticed something out of the ordinary.  When it came time to pick the place to fellowship, they asked a very charismatic young lady who was relatively new to the company, where she wanted to go. 

I was impressed for several reasons as I watched the interaction between the leadership couple, and this young dynamo. Let me touch on a few of those reasons I was impressed and then let’s get to a few learning points. First, because it takes so much to hit the top positions in any company the sacrifice, the focus and the willingness to share with others it is not always the norm. To see leaders who are willing to share their platform and stage with someone who is still working to arrive was a breath of fresh air. I know many of you may say what is wrong with them doing this?  Why don’t more leaders would practice this behavior?  I get it, but when you really understand the nuances of how to effectively do this, while not compromising your leadership position you get a feel for the degree of leadership and sacrifice that took place. As a leader, you don’t want display a lack of appreciation for the effort and work of those in the organization and the area.  A lack of appreciation can be taken as disrespect or de-edification. So, this was an incredibly interesting day for me, even though I was invited as the expert, it was a day of watching and learning (I love these occasions because without this happening, we have no story to share with you) for me too!

So, why would any leader in a room full of people, be willing to ask questions and share information with someone who you and I would say is technically a subordinate? Well I had questions for the power couple as we drove to the restaurant (by ourselves in their car). I’m happy to say I asked the questions like I was a brand-new distributor. Because I was brand-new, I hadn’t seen this behavior a lot outside of my home market.  The leadership in my area practices many of these same behaviors that I was witnessing, the difference is I understood why we did it.  For me it was interesting at this point, to find out many of their reasons, mirrored ours. What I want to point out about the first part of this story are the behaviors I’m discussing should be common. This is all common sense but as one of my mentors often says common sense isn’t always common practice. As a result, seldom do I hear other leaders discuss practicing or witnessing what I’m sharing with you today.

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