Happy Mentoring Young Professionals!
Many years ago I learned a very important acronym from a leadership professor at DePaul University.
DWYSYWD; “Do What You Say You Will Do!”
People want to be led. People want to contribute to the success of teams. But this can only happen if we DWYSYWD! Whether you are working with a team or 1-on-1 mentoring, your team or mentee will listen to you talk but then watch you walk. They want to ensure you are a trusted leader and follow through with your commitments.
It is important as trusted leaders & mentors to
- Maintain our credibility. Without it, who will trust us to lead them?
- Hold our teams accountable as well as ourselves. If we don’t, who will?
- Expect our teams to hold us accountable. If they don’t, how can they rely on you?
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Leadership is so much more than managing people. It’s about heart and showing you genuinely care about the success of the organization as well as the success of your teammates. Leadership begins with setting expectations for one’s self, following through, setting expectations for others, following through, setting expectations as a team, following through. The common formula here is
- Set Expectations + Follow Through = Become a Trusted Leader (by DWYSYWD!)
Anyone can manage, the question is… can you lead? Can you follow through?
Please feel free to engage in the following questions:
- How do you define a trusted leader?
- What acronyms help you lead?
- Have you ever felt disconnected from your job because your manager had a poor follow through?
Kind Regards,
William T. Kernan
Chair, IMA Young Professional Advisory Committee
In golf as in life it is the follow through that makes the difference.
-Unknown