New Eyes

It was time to update my website – to look at something I’d seen over and over with new eyes. Since I’d been comfortable with things the way they were, it wasn’t easy to motivate myself to change. But when I finally did, I clearly saw the difference and was glad I made the effort.

This got me thinking about what happens when managers get stuck in their perspective about their employees. There’s clearly a danger here. For one thing, you can end up giving your direct reports the same assignments time and again. In doing this, you miss opportunities to help them grow and risk lowering their enthusiasm for the work. And when you interact with them the same way over and over, it can prevent your relationship from growing stronger.

So I’d like to challenge you to take at least one of your direct reports, look at them with new eyes, and ask yourself one question:

What am I missing?

Look long and hard! This could be the path to building stronger bonds and better results.