Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of performance through strong human relations, team building, and golachieving. This is the seven minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellovledo.
Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute leadership podcast. It's episode three sixteen. In today's principle is simple but powerful. Look for the second story. And here's what I mean. Behind the missed deadline might be a sick kid. Behind the attitude might be exhaustion. Behind the silence might be anxiety, and behind the outburst might be grief. Look for the second story. So just let me be clear on this. This is not about making excuses. It's about seeking understanding.
In leadership, we deal with performance, accountability, and standards every single day. But here's the thing. People aren't problems. Their stories, and those stories often go untold unless you ask. So let me give you a real world leadership moment. One of my team members years ago missed an important meeting, no call, no text. I was frustrated. I was ready to give a lecture about professionalism, but instead I asked, is everything okay? And it turns out his wife was
in the er with complications from surgery. He wasn't thinking about work. He was thinking about her, and that changed everything. Now again, I didn't erase the accountability. We still talked about protocols, backup plans, and communication, but we had that conversation after I acknowledged his story. Great leaders pause before they judge, They ask, before they assume, they listen before
they correct. It doesn't make you weak, It makes you human, and in return, your people will give you more than compliance. They'll give you trust. I think at the core of every employee they want to be understood. We all have different backgrounds, different upbringings, in different styles of communication. If you are completely in tune with your staff, you know when one of them is off, and if you're saying to yourself, this isn't like them, then there is a
second story. They may be embarrassed by it, they may be in shock because of it. The right thing to do is let them know that they don't have to go through it alone, whatever that might be. So here's a quick challenge for you this week. When someone shows up off their game, just pause, don't imediately correct. Ask one simple question, is everything okay? Sometimes you'll get nothing, and other times you'll get that second story. And that's when you stop being just a boss and start being
a real leader. And if you haven't done so, please five star review the show on your favorite podcasting platform. This has been the seven minute leadership podcast and I thank you for listening.
For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.