Teams, Communication, and Leadership

How often have you heard others say: "PEOPLE!" referring to how difficult it is to deal with different personalities, visions, and particular methods of doing things?

I started managing people at 21 years old, right out of college. My employer was an international medical device manufacturer, and they put me in charge of a 3rd shift. Most of the employees were twice my age, and I was in charge of managing 75 employees without any support other than young supervisors in nearby production areas, who were the same age as me and as clueless as I was. So that's how my journey of dealing with people started.

Like most engineers, I was an introvert. In addition, I had been raised in a very old-fashion conservative household, so the significance of "respecting authority" was more "fear of authority" than anything else. Therefore, fear influenced my communication skills immensely. Speaking with authority to employees felt like I was trying to climb Mt. Everest. 

 That's when I decided I needed help regarding labor laws, teamwork, leadership, management, and communications. So I took it upon myself to learn about it, attending workshops but mostly observing those that did a fantastic job gathering people and motivating them to accomplish goals.

I am thankful that this company invested in training and allowed me to attend classes with internal resources. However, this tall, middle-aged supervisor on the 2nd shift always caught my attention and was my best teacher. 

People loved him and respected him. He had the gift of talking to you and making you feel listened to. He could give you the worst news, and still, you'd leave feeling empowered. 

People, communication, and leadership are strongly correlated.

If you are on the journey of becoming a better leader, know that it is a never-ending learning and changing process. People are diverse, and our communication style needs to adapt to convey the message to a diverse group of people. 

What never changes is the desire to gather people, influence them to collaborate, learn from each other, and achieve goals. Go for it!