Today, when my phone rang, and I saw Private Caller pop up on my caller ID, I knew who was calling – yet another telemarketer. Instead of listening to my gut and just letting it ring, I picked it up to ask to be put on their Do Not Call List. This time, when they heard me sigh after they asked if they were speaking to Mrs Steam-Burner (not my name) and as I prepared to launch my request, I was left with the dial tone. They had hung up on me. Nice.
I know many leaders that believe that you should maintain a healthy distance from your team. You know, not get too involved on that icky, uncomfortable “personal level.” Those same leaders believe that someone who is very expressive at work or “over shares” does not have what it takes to lead. Period. End of discussion. Every emotion is like a black mark on their employee’s permanent record.
Same game, different rules, happens all the time. Just the other day, the kids, my husband and I went to a local park to practice some footy and netball skills, two popular Australian sports. It was beautiful, the sun was shining and everything was going perfectly. I was practicing netball throwing and catching with my daughter while my husband helped our son to get some more (read: any) distance from his kick.
