Circles of Safety

As most of our readers are undoubtedly aware, strong leadership in any business is essential for the company to thrive and evolve. What is often less discussed, however, is what makes an effective leader. How do strong leaders think, act, and communicate?

Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, believes that one leads by implementing a sense of trust, cooperation, and perhaps most importantly, care. Using the example of U.S. Army Captain William D. Swenson, whose column was ambushed in Afghanistan in 2009, Sinek reveals that a great concern for any leader should be for those below him/her to feel safe, as it is only when they feel safe that they will fully trust and cooperate. In the midst of a changing economy and inevitable competition from other companies, the only variable that can truly be controlled “are the conditions inside the organization. There’s where leadership matters, because it’s the leader who sets the tone. When leaders make a choice to put the people first, remarkable things happen.”

Of course, one doesn’t have to be an army lieutenant or CEO to lead. Each member of a company, regardless of rank, has the volition to make sacrifices that lessen the burden on other employees, while simultaneously benefitting the company as a whole. The “natural response,” as Sinek articulates, is for others to make sacrifices in return.

As an example, imagining walking into your office early one morning and witnessing your boss standing on a stepstool replacing light bulbs, as a large circuit had blown the night before. When asked what he is doing, your boss informs you that he is replacing all 28 light bulbs in the lobby area and has replaced five thus far. He does not ask you for help or suggest that you take over, but simply continues the task. It is likely that you will offer to help him and perhaps even more likely that you will insist on taking over the job. Your recognition, whether conscious or unconscious, of your superior’s sacrifice will lead you to want to remove some of his burden. Without even knowing it, you have followed the leader.

Consider:

How do you demonstrate leadership within your company?

What do you believe makes someone a strong leader?

For information on leadership and Sinek’s “circles of safety,” view his TED Talk, How great leaders inspire action.