By Nat Crawford
Intimacy blends identifying your core values and taking
action.
Think about restaurants you’ve been in. Have you ever been
in a restaurant with a manager that didn’t care? Didn’t that trickle down to
the staff and eventually to you? This
past year, my family and I ate at a restaurant in Kansas City, MO. I have eaten
there every year for over twenty-five years. Our experience in the Spring was disappointing.
Our service was horrible (the servers were fighting over who had to
wait on us). The food was made from pre-made frozen packages. This was a stark
contrast our gourmet food and first-class service we had experienced in the
past. What was the difference? The hotel had been bought out and the management
was let go. The restaurant was managed by the hotel manager.
Compare that to this story: In 2009, our son was battling
cancer. We had not eaten out as a family in months due to chemotherapy and an
infant with a low-immune system. After our church’s Christmas pageant, we
decided to try eating out. We went to Texas Roadhouse, and it was packed. I
asked if there was a place where we could be secluded. The manager and staff
made special area free of other guests. They made it a wonderful meal with
special service, great food, and an “on the house” price tag.
Do you see the difference intimacy makes in the lives of
your staff, co-workers, and your customers? This intimacy comes with real
experience and not just theory and methodology.
To develop intimacy, try two things. First, identify and
live out your core values. Your values come way before mission, policies, or
actions. When you act with without considering your values, you are sailing a
ship without a rudder. Your values help develop your can do’s and your no can
do’s. They build your mission, your policies and navigate your steps.
Second, once your values are identified, start taking action
by asking questions! Don’t ask meaningless questions. Ask good questions
expecting answers. People don’t care in your mission unless they know how much
you care about them!
If you need to, go through the check list of question
starters:
Who are you?
What are your goals and dreams?
Where
are you going, and where have you been?
When
and how can I help?
Why are these your dreams and goals?
A leader who knows and lives out their value and deeply
cares by asking questions, is an intimate leader who all will follow!
What are ways you build intimacy?
Labels: Ask, core values, cornerstone leadership solutions, intimacy, kansas city, questions, texas road house, the brassierre
