Clik here to view.
Several years ago I was on vacation with friends and we were riding wave runners through The Eagle River Chain of Lakes in northern Wisconsin. Each time we would pass through a channel to get from one lake to another we would see a sign: “No Wake Zone.” My friends know that I have somewhat of a “lead foot” so passing through these channels felt excruciatingly painful to me. I felt like we were standing still to avoid creating a wake. When passing through one channel, my lack of patience with standing still, led the police to pull me over.
As leaders there is no such thing as a “No Wake Zone.” We tend to create two types of wakes by our leadership.
Wake due to Activity
As a leader, you are responsible to set the vision, strategy, growth and culture of the organization and ensure that team members execute on the plan. Team members are responsible to execute the plan, be engaged and support the culture.
What type of wake do you create by your activity or lack of activity? Are you focused on those things that you are uniquely qualified to do? Or do you do things that team members should do and want to do?
The wake of your activity causes team members to either feel good that they are riding on your wake or dissatisfied or frustrated because your wake is swamping their boat.
Wake due to Character
Your behavior and interpersonal interactions create a wake felt by team members. What type of relationship do you have with team members? Do they view it as caring and loving? Do team members trust you? Do they feel valued?
In my blog post, Are You a Leader of Integrity?, I talk about the structural integrity of character. It doesn’t just apply to how we are and how we interact but also relates to what we allow.
- Do you allow a disruptive team member to go unchecked?
- Do you have a different standard for some team members?
- Do you hold team members accountable for accomplishing their goals?
If you allow any of these, what message does that send to the rest of your team? Are your team members riding your wake or being swamped by it?
Your wake affects people at a deep level – it affects their mind and their heart. People can tell a lot about your leadership based on the wake you leave behind.
What wake are you leaving behind?
