What About Bob

I have a fellow Director at work.  He runs one side of our production department and I run the other.  Let’s call him Bob (real name is well, Bob).  We just finished pulling together a weeklong team building set of activities to kick off summer for our department.  Together Bob and I, along with the other members of our leadership team, pulled it off.  People had fun and met folks that they never talked to before.  That was our aim, nothing more.

Effective leadership includes self-evaluation and awareness.   With everything going on at work, I found myself in a reflective mood during this past week.  It helps to have a baseline for comparison.  These days my baseline or point of comparison is Bob.

So what about Bob?  Bob serves as an anchor point for me to check myself … my behavior, my business approach and my leadership.   We are different.  Bob, in a traditional sense, comes across as serious and professional.    I have my highs and my lows.  Bob is a steady down the middle guy.   Without doubt, Bob knows how to have a good time and add fun into the workplace.  Yet I take it to the next level and use humor as a core leadership tool and yes, I can even get silly at work.   (I know … silliness is not on anyone’s leadership trait list).  

We never arrive as leaders.  Leadership development is a continuous process of discovery.   It is important that we recognize those folks surrounding us who serve as examples and mirrors to aid our journey.  We each need to find our leadership expression.  Bob has his effective approach and I believe my approach works well too.  Oh yea, together we make a damn good leadership team.

Do you have people like Bob in your work life?

I realize I am using a movie reference for my post today.  “What About Bob” is a very funny movie and I highly recommend it.   The irony of course is that my Bob is the serious professional and I am more like the movie Bob.   Hum … I am Bob.