The Importance of Noticing
Through my career at Waste Management and other major corporations, I’ve identified five key characteristics of a good servant leader. (You can read more about these in my book Management Waste: 5 Steps to Clean Up the Mess and Lead with Purpose.) One of these steps is “Notice.”
What is notice? Essentially, the act of noticing is being mindful of the people around you and becoming less self-absorbed and focused on yourself. When you are actively practicing noticing, you place others as more important than yourself.
To establish a habit of noticing in your own leadership, you must first refrain from being “dumb” or unwilling or unable to speak. Start putting noticing in action by moving muteness to the trash and replace it with an intentional effort to speak with others and truly engage on a personal level. You can do this by asking questions, eventually reaching a level of comfort that welcomes employees to share their joys and struggles with you.
If you’re ready to commit to practicing noticing every day, there are four important keys to understand.
Taking notice means getting to know the people around you. Displaying care and intentionally paying attention to those around you begins with a conversation. Ask questions and break through your surface-level knowledge of your colleagues. Get to know who they truly are, their favorite things, and details of their family to establish an engaged relationship. In this way, you can become aware of how to best support your colleagues. Each of us desire to be known; make the effort truly to know the people in your life.
Taking notice means becoming aware of people’s struggles. God tells us to be aware of the people around us so we can help diffuse the tension, fear, conflict and stress in their lives and provide encouragement and hope. No one is meant to go through this life alone. When you take notice, you will find opportunities to support others in prayer and let God work through you to bring comfort. Not only are you able to pray for people, but perhaps even pray with them, opening the door for discipleship. Don’t ever hesitate from lending a hand and allowing yourself to be in tune with their needs.
Taking notice means developing your own self-awareness. Be aware of how you come across to others and the ways that they see you. It takes courage to be real with yourself and even more courage to ask people their honest opinion and listen to their suggestions on how you can improve. At some point, each of us will fail, and having someone who can share adjustments you need to make next will go a long way to self-awareness and self-improvement. As a leader, be the first to recognize a problem and take the blame when needed. Learning from past mistakes and areas of weakness will only help you in the journey of servant leadership.
Taking notice means letting others notice you. Allow the people who surround you the opportunity of getting to know you on a deeper level, just as you are taking steps to get to know them. Share your life struggles, celebrations, failures and hardships. Through opening up yourself, you will communicate a message of relatability and trustworthiness. Don’t forget that you are no more special than any one of your employees just because of a particular title. Remain humble and transparent with the people you interact with.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:3-4