people we lead have big stories

Prevailing management wisdom has over-taught the importance of boundaries in workplace relationships. Of course healthy boundaries are important. But the reality is, as my own research has borne out, distance does not lead to objectivity. It leads to ignorance. Leaders need to know their people. Know about their families, their interests, and their life outside of work. “You can’t truly understand how to lead someone you only know in one dimension of life.” This becomes especially true for Millennials, whose work life and whole life are highly integrated.  Leaders must understand the aspirations of those they lead to ensure they are tailoring their leadership to those aspirations. “People we lead have big stories, and we are part of that story. We need to understand how they are thinking about the bigger story of their life to know what part we play.”

 Ron Carucci in an interview with Mark C. Crowley
"Four Radical Leadership Practices That Will Dramatically Increase Engagement" Forbes. 3/1/2016