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Wally Bock's Supervisory Leadership Tips Simple Things
In the book of 2 Kings in the Bible, we find Naaman. He was the head of the Aramean army and a very important man in the eyes of his king. Alas, though, Naaman was afflicted with leprosy.
When Naaman heard about a prophet who might cure his disease he set off with the blessing of the king, lots of soldiers and loads of money to get see if his leprosy can be cured. Some time later, Naaman and his entourage wound up outside the door of the house of the prophet Elisha.
Elisha didn't even come out. He sent word to Naaman to go and bathe seven times in the Jordan River and his leprosy will be cured. Instead of being grateful and heading off to the Jordan, Naaman was furious.
He was furious because that seemed like a small and simple thing to do to achieve a miraculous cure. Besides, his rivers at home in Syria were better than the Jordan River any day.
Then one of Namaan's servants approached him and said, in effect, "Look, if that prophet had suggested that you do some great, big, mighty thing you would have done it. Why not try the simple thing." Naaman does. His leprosy is cured.
I think of this story when I run into managers who are looking for magic. They scour the latest books and articles and go to seminars looking for some great, magic thing they can do that will deliver great results.
There is very little magic to great supervisory leadership. Most of the things that will get you great results are simple things that you do over and over again. And the simplest of them all is one of the most powerful. Show up a lot.
If you show up a lot, then your showing up isn’t an event. If you are the kind of supervisory leader who shows up only when there is bad news to deliver, then as soon as you show up or as soon as you send an email, folks will assume there is bad news and act accordingly.
Showing up a lot gives you the opportunity to observe your people and how they work. It helps you learn about them and their strengths and weaknesses. That helps you support them and deal with them in effective supervisory interviews.
Showing up a lot also gives you lots of opportunities to tell the people who work for you what’s important to you, and why their work matters. Showing up a lot gives you the opportunity to make small course corrections and to catch problems while they're still small.
Success as a Supervisory Leader isn't about doing big, magic things. Don't be like Naaman and look for the big, complex thing that will guarantee success.
Success comes from doing the simple basics every day, every week, every month. And the simplest thing is also one of the most important. Show up a lot.
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