Manager

I fought the truth for a while, in fact I even tried to strategically steer my career away from being a “manager”. To many, it’s a dirty word, an aloof position, the middle person between the frontline and the top line and there’s a no win outcome.

The irony is I continued to gravitate towards leadership roles. A natural educator I liked coaching, inspiring, connecting. I think I finally succumbed to my fate leading me path in the path of leadership when I saw the potential great leadership could have for the team, individuals, and in my profession-patients. So I leaned in, I started watching, listening, asking questions. I experimented with what worked, what didn’t, and sometimes I failed. I learned from good and bad examples. The ones that will never leave my conscious are the leaders that let empathy be their moral compass.

A quick litmus test is to watch how a leader reacts when a team member needs time off for a funeral, whether they say it or not you can tell if their first thought is – I’m sorry and I’m here for you or how are we going to cover your absence? I had a leader soon after my grandmother had a stroke, while shortly after passing away didn’t blink and told me “go”. I was able to spend a few days with her while she was still conscious and was able to be with her in the end, and I am forever grateful for that time. Not only the time allotted, but this leader continues to this day even though she is not my boss anymore still applaud me for my milestones and tell me how proud my grandmother would be.

Another leader in my career was so authentic I was able to read her thoughts, and she led from the heart when she would give feedback. Many hate management roles because feedback is hard, but through her I learned to love receiving and giving it. It went against what was expected when she would lean in again with the heart to give feedback and then let the person know they could take the feedback to heart and improve or go tell their peers how wrong she was and how much of a horrible person she was. I watched an entire team grow exponentially with that constant heartfelt feedback and encouragement and could see at the time how transformative this person was to the culture and others professional growth.

There are other countless examples, but in the end I love being a manager a leader a person to confide in and seek guidance. The titles may change overtime, but in authentically leaning into the strengths I personally have, and focusing on the relationships, and the personal and professional growth possible, the teams I do lead now and for the future, and the people I will build trust with will be better off because of empathy. Finally, roles are fluid and relationships change, knowing that I may be coaching my future boss is how I bring even more respect and encouragement to the people I am charged to lead. In closing, to exemplify this…

⁃ One of my boss’s in my career became a member of my team

⁃ One became a colleague

⁃ One became a mentor

⁃ All became a part of who I am now as a leader

Put relationships first, put people first, and they will both transform before you and transcend the time stamp of titles. Lead.