True caring is about you, not me

Colleagues,
 
Today we continue the series on the twenty most important things I have learned from others.

True caring is about you, not me

I used to try and help people by getting them to think like me. Why? I guess I thought I had all the answers. The problem with this form of “caring” is that my agenda drove the interactions and I only created space for people to grow in the direction I wanted them to grow. In the spring of 2004, I read Milton Myeroff’s short book On Caring and it changed my leadership forever.
 
Myeroff stated that if I really cared about someone, then I would take the time to know and understand them and support them in the direction they determined they needed to go. This was a profound shift. My actions became more about the other person, and less about me. Leading is not taking people in a direction, it is providing the support to help them grow in the direction that they need.

I’ll be away from email for a while, but please feel free to respond to this series and I will get back to you after my return.
 
Do good and be well,
 
Frederick​