Leading the One

No matter how many people a leader manages, every individual is a critical member of the team. I learned early in my career the power of leading the one.

I began my career at Dow Chemical in Midland, Michigan, the location of the company’s global headquarters. In 1997, one year after I joined, leadership celebrated the company’s 100^th anniversary by holding a series of events for employees.

We were invited to the corporate center, where we ate food, received mementos, and met senior leaders. When we arrived at the corporate center’s large front lawn, we were shuttled into lines to receive our food and shake hands with various senior leaders.

As the long queue snaked back and forth, I saw a man standing ahead of me at the bend of my line. I recognized him as Frank Popoff, the CEO who had recently stepped down to become chairman of the board.

When I approached him, he extended his hand and introduced himself. He asked what department I was in, how long I had worked at the company, and what I was working on. We chatted briefly when the line paused, and then I proceeded with the line when it began to move again. I followed the line about 25 yards until it turned around and looped me back to where I had met Mr. Popoff.

When I approached him a second time, I had an amazing experience. He picked up our conversation right where we left off. He remembered what department I was in and the specifics of the job I had shared with him. After another brief conversation, the line began to move again, and I followed my colleagues as we made our way to the food.

There were hundreds of people in those lines during the celebration. I realized that this man had literally met dozens of people before and after me. Yet, he was present enough during our brief interaction to remember a new lowly chemical engineer.

I learned that day that Best Bosses lead the one.

They are present at every interaction. People are important to them—who they are, what they are trying to achieve, and what talents they have. I have heard similar stories about other impressive leaders who have such a people-oriented approach that they remember individuals even after brief interactions.

Imagine the impact these people-focused leaders can have when their interactions are frequent!

Best Bosses make their people’s growth, well-being, and potential the means by which they lead—not the reward at the end.

Make no mistake: Best Bosses understand that they must deliver against their metrics. In our research, we consistently observed high performance against all metrics for which they are accountable.

However, the way Best Bosses achieve personal and professional goals is considerably different from others. The difference is that Best Bosses achieve these positive outcomes by focusing on their people, not by leveraging their people. And they do it one person at a time.

Leading the one is not just a soft skill; it’s a strategic advantage.

And it makes Best Bosses the positive leaders that we’ll never forget.