The Importance of Good Leadership
I remember once early in my law career at a Big Law firm, it was 6:30 and I was packing up to leave for the day, thrilled to be going home at a relatively early hour. Then the phone rang and I saw it was my boss. He was meeting with an important client on an issue in the morning. He needed a research memo to be able to provide authoritative advice. Could I help? Of course. Six hours later, there was a memo on his desk.
I was happy to come through. He was a great boss, always taking the time to answer my questions and carefully explain things to me. He gave me assignments that would challenge me and the necessary support to complete them. He never yelled; he made requests as opposed to demands. He mentored. Cared about me as a person. And so whenever he called, the answer was always “yes.”
I have been branded a workaholic many times in my career, but to me, it was never about the work. It was always about the people that the work was for. The clients and colleagues that I came through for because they needed my help.
If you are a good boss, people will come through for you. Not because they have to. But because they want to.