It looks like 'relatability' isn't a word. If it was, it would be the title of this post.
Part of being a good leader, or even manager, is having the ability to relate to people at any level of the organization.
Being able to relate to me simply means, "You've been where I've been before and / or I can tell you understand where I'm coming from."
In the consulting world, most consultants go through the same progression. The person that is a Partner today was a Business Analyst or Sr. Consultant at some point in his or her career. Of course there are exceptions, like the direct admit guys from industry. But in general, the higher ups have all been through the same rite of passage.
That's a start of being able to relate.
What I've learned is that when you are able to relate to someone, everything else becomes easier because now you have earned a certain level of trust. I think that there are leaders (more often than some) in this world that think that they are relating to their folks, but are really not even close to understanding what their people need or feel. When I say "understand," I mean that there is true recognition and not just the obligatory lip service you get when asked a frequently asked question.
As a result, the view from below is that the leader lacks authenticity.
To compound the issue, a leader has no idea that this is the case until something major occurs that points to this even being a problem.
If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that good business is driven by an ability to understand and help people. If you can do that, the numbers will come. The opposite of that is to manage to a number and forget about the people.
Which side of the fence is better?
Part of being a good leader, or even manager, is having the ability to relate to people at any level of the organization.
Being able to relate to me simply means, "You've been where I've been before and / or I can tell you understand where I'm coming from."
In the consulting world, most consultants go through the same progression. The person that is a Partner today was a Business Analyst or Sr. Consultant at some point in his or her career. Of course there are exceptions, like the direct admit guys from industry. But in general, the higher ups have all been through the same rite of passage.
That's a start of being able to relate.
What I've learned is that when you are able to relate to someone, everything else becomes easier because now you have earned a certain level of trust. I think that there are leaders (more often than some) in this world that think that they are relating to their folks, but are really not even close to understanding what their people need or feel. When I say "understand," I mean that there is true recognition and not just the obligatory lip service you get when asked a frequently asked question.
As a result, the view from below is that the leader lacks authenticity.
To compound the issue, a leader has no idea that this is the case until something major occurs that points to this even being a problem.
If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that good business is driven by an ability to understand and help people. If you can do that, the numbers will come. The opposite of that is to manage to a number and forget about the people.
Which side of the fence is better?
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