I recently read a post by Dr. Jenny Brockis about the non-negotiables. You can read her post here. While she talks about the non-negotiables as an individual and what we can do to honor them on an ongoing basis, I would like to talk about non-negotiables in a slightly different context – as leaders.
Who we are as a leader is defined as much by what we do as it is by what we don’t do. What we don’t do at times is more visible than what we actually do.
Stand up for your team
Not standing up for our team when they are not present in the room or even when they are present in the room is one such action. Being a leader means that the buck stops with us. We are responsible for everything that the team has done or said – good, bad or ugly. We need to have their back.
Absorb Pressure
In an earlier post, I talk about how good bosses have the ability to absorb pressure and not just pass it on to their teams. Knowing when and how much to stretch our teams is one of our primary responsibilities. So is not putting them under too much pressure, just because there is too much pressure to perform on us. Nothing good ever comes out of it. You can read the post I mention here.
Do not engage in gossip
Not engaging in gossip behind someone’s back is another aspect that is a non-negotiable for me. If we have anything to say about someone, it is best to say it to them directly instead of using back channels (which are ok but only on extremely rare occasions when done deliberately for the benefit of the person and the team).
Explicit Behavioural Norms
In terms of behaviours, we need to make it explicit what behaviours are non-negotiable (must do), which are acceptable (good to do) and which are completely non-acceptable (will not be tolerated). I am always surprised to see how many leaders do not make this explicit and when someone exhibits a behaviour that we do not want to see and is reprimanded for that, they throw a fit (whether we get to see it or not is immaterial, they do). We need to make these expectations explicit and talk about them at every opportunity we get.
Being a Professional
As a leader, one of my non-negotiables is to leave my personal issues and challenges outside of work. I try my absolute best to be the best version of myself every time I show up to work. All my personal issues are dealt with when I am not working. I am surprised to see so many leaders show up angry, sad or frustrated because of something that they are dealing with personally, which in my opinion is unprofessional.
Performance – Nothing but the absolute best
When it comes to the actual performance, I expect from myself and those whom I work with, nothing but the absolute best that they are capable of. On top of that, we need to continue to learn and push the limits of the absolute best. The feedback and focus is on the behaviour and not on the results. If we did the best that we could and still fell short, that is ok. If we did a shoddy work and still come out ahead, that is not ok.
In conclusion:
In conclusion, all I would like to state is that as leaders, we need to create a list of non-negotiables for us and our teams (if not already done). Then hold ourselves accountable to these non-negotiable behaviours. I can say from my experience that it is a lot more fun if we know what we can and will do and what we will not do. People can express themselves fully, have fun and create a culture of high performance.
