Set the Tone, Make a Difference

I love that a single person can make a significant difference on a team and even to an entire company. She can energize her colleagues, bring enthusiasm and vigor to its culture, get people excited—wanting to collaborate and help one another—as well as get everyone pumped about delivering high quality service to clients.

To clarify, I do not simply mean cheering people on, as this behavior may give the appearance of trying too hard. Certainly some of the qualities of a cheer leader are helpful and appreciated, for example, encouragement and celebration of excellent work, good effort and success, but I also mean something deeper. I couple these encouraging qualities with a quiet confidence, a sincere appreciation for clients and colleagues, and a pride in the team and its work.

A definition of being a leader is to cause someone to do or believe something. We can lead one person at a time, encouraging each person to be their best self, have pride in their team and themselves, want to know what success looks like with their clients, and to be a great team member.

I have personally seen situations in which a company culture lacked high energy and esprit d' corps, and a single person became a spark plug that changed the tone of everyone's work. I saw spirits lifted, everyone becoming excited and more appreciative of one another. The company’s collective effort rose, as did the caliber of everyone's work.

Work can become fun, thanks to a single person who is full of positive energy, wanting to help everyone succeed. Yet when I see this person, she is usually not out front in the spotlight. I've heard it called “leading from the rear.”

Let's remember, we are all leaders. Each of us can help people succeed, one person at a time. Each of us can do that! Everyday!