“To lead people, walk beside them … As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate … When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!'”
– Lao-tsu –

I like Patrick Lencioni‘s view of anonymity that causes an individual’s job misery. I have to admit that most employees dread coming to work every day, dragging their feet just to get a paycheck. I was listening to a colleague the other day how he didn’t like the idea of our boss coming back to work after a long break due to the fact that he’ll start feeling useless again. For the past few days, he was spending sleepless nights trying to solve technical issues together with our US counterparts and that felt like an accomplishment for him. Once the boss gets back, he’ll be back to being “just like everyone else.” Knowing that we are important and making a difference is something that everyone likes to feel, whether at work, at school or at home. But the truth is, we really are important as we are unique individuals. The problem with managers nowadays is that they tend to miss the point. Ask this question to any manager you know : “When was the last time you told their staff how important they were in the team?” They probably won’t remember. And having that feeling of unimportance will cause any individual to feel miserble at work. We keep forgetting that working professionals are human beings, too. And it is important to understand that making people feel important contributes to their productivity and fulfillment.