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Be a values-first leader. Relentlessly pursue the growth of yourself and others.
Hi everyone! Heather Italiano here, creator of People Warriors. This week we are talking about the foundational mindset of becoming a People Warrior and that is "Be The Exception".
If you missed the first blog post on this series, click here to start from the beginning where I introduce what it means to be the exception and the importance of it. I also talk about the 1st of 2 great leaders in my life who are the exception - the first being my former CEO, Chris - who was exceptional in being involved and connecting with people, and leading with humility.
Today I am going to talk about the second exceptional leader in my life and that is my Uncle Bobby.
Meet Uncle Bobby!
Everyone has their favorite Uncle who makes everybody laugh, has the funny one liners, who beats to their own drum. That is my Uncle Bobby.
If you didn't know my Uncle Bobby and you ran into him on the street, he would probably be in pajama pants or sweats and a 10 year old t-shirt (probably camo), driving his lifted 4 wheel drive Jeep with John 3:16 on the back window.
But he is also the patriarch of our family. Everyone looks up to him, seeks his advice. He models what it is to be a good and faithful servant of God everyday. He models what it is to be a great father and husband. He never holds grudges, he is quick to forgive, never gossips, never needs to be right, never seems to panic or worry. He is a rock.
And on top of all that he is a wildly successful leader in business - he is a founding partner for one of the country's largest multi-residential real estate development companies. So he is one of the big bosses.
My Uncle Bobby is the exception in 2 areas:
#1: He is a values-first leader.
Many companies list their company values on their website or on their recruiting and onboarding materials, but not many actually live it out in how the operate or how they manage their people. There are many C-Suite Executives out there that couldn't recite their company's values, let alone live them out. When I look at the company values and culture for Uncle Bobby's company, I see Uncle Bobby's footprint. He models true values-first leadership, meaning his core values as a person, a husband, a father, a Christian are the number 1 driver for everything in his life, every decision he makes, both in and out of the workplace. His values and beliefs are the foundation that impacts every aspect of his leadership from how he leads people to how he grows the company, and he expects that of the other leaders in his organization.
#2: He relentlessly pursues the growth of himself and others.
Uncle Bobby has made it to the top - successful career, successful company, successful family life. But as long as I can remember, Uncle Bobby is always reading something non-fiction in the realm of leadership and/or faith based personal development, and is always participating in community groups and men's groups at his church. He understands there isn't a finish line when it comes to personal growth. He understands that when you stop learning, you stop growing.
That passion is multiplied by a million when it comes to helping others grow and succeed. In his company, every manager is assigned a leadership coach and is required to participate in 1x1 coaching. In fact, the leadership coach he employs used to work at his company as an employee in HR who wanted to grow a career in coaching and consulting. Guess who helped pave the way for her to do that?
If someone comes to Uncle Bobby for advice or guidance or even just to bounce a career idea off of, he doesn't just listen and respond. He get's overjoyed and becomes personally invested in helping that person see it though. He immediately opens doors of opportunity - possibly even before that person may be ready to confidently step into that door - because he see potential in people beyond what they see for themselves. And he holds them accountable, checks in on their progress.
I have experienced this several times with Uncle Bobby, but my favorite example is when I was living in New York and wanting a change in career and environment. He was the first person I shared these thoughts and ideas with - of moving back to Texas and starting over somewhere new which was a super scary and exciting feeling. I wasn't sure what that looked like and just needed a mentor to bounce ideas off of and get reassurance from. I told him not to tell my mom yet, and that I wanted to stew on things for the next few weeks to make sure I was making the right decision.
And in classic Bobby fashion, he texted me the next day and said he thought this was the right move for me, that I should fly home that week and that I could stay with him and my Aunt for as long as I needed. I was like, "Woooooah, Nelly!" In my head, I was still tossing the idea around, wanting to not rush into a decision and he was like, "let's do this, next week, come home, you got this, I believe in you, I will help you."
Some leaders leave their personal values at the door of the office. Uncle Bobby is a successful leader because of his values and beliefs. Some leaders don't pursue or passively pursue the growth of others. Uncle Bobby relentlessly pursues the growth of himself and others.
Uncle Bobby is the exception.
But wait...there's more! Check out part three of this blog series where we wrap up the discussion with ways you can be the exception just like Chris and Bobby without being a C-Suite executive!
If you have awesome stories of exception leaders, post them on social and tag People Warriors so we can hear them and celebrate them. Also, if you want to be brave and make a declaration of what or where you want to become exceptional, post it, shout it to the world, tag us so we can champion you, encourage you, support you.
Y'all have a great day, and be the exception!
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