How Great Leaders Make You Feel

Great leaders make you feel safe.

I was reading my Bible and came across this verse:

“Behold, a king will reign righteously and princes will rule justly. Each will be like a refuge from the wind and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.” Isaiah 32:1-2

I'm fortunate enough to have a few amazing leaders in my life. The two individuals on my team epitomize this. They see me, and value me, and celebrate some of the things that are uniquely me but so many people have told me were wrong. Where others saw weakness they see strength. They make it so I show up in my work without fear while constantly inspiring me to up my game. They make me feel safe.

My best friends show up this way as well. They see me, challenge me, encourage me, and remind me that nothing I can do or say will push them away or cause them to reject me. They make me feel safe.

This makes me think about the people I lead. Do they see me as a refuge, as refreshing, as someplace secure and where they can find rest? How am I fostering this feeling every day? How will I do it today? How do I show them that they can be honest, take risks, fail, and know that I appreciate and support them? How do I make them feel safe?

I tell my people that fear based decisions are rarely good ones. I don’t want them to make choices because they’re scared of negative consequences, I want them to make choices because they have a big vision for the future and sometimes that vision takes trying something that doesn’t have any guarantees. I want them to know that if it doesn’t work out, we can work through it and that the lessons we’ve learned along the way will be invaluable.

For all of us - how are we making the people in our lives feel safe? How are we supporting them in taking risks? Remember...you can manage work, but you’ve got to lead people. And people thrive, and grow, and risk not when they're playing it safe, but when they feel safe.