Help others improve themselves

 What?

How can we make others feel they are welcomed and that their work is appreciated by those around them? How can we reward and value others in ways that are typically used in today's society while building their character and skills to become the best version of themselves? Chapter eleven of Manifesto for a moral revolution by Jacqueline Novogratz describes how we should be accountable to accompany each other and acknowledge the work that we provide for others. 

So What?

Accompaniment means to "live and walk" alongside those who you serve. This means a person has the willingness to meet someone and make them feel valued and guide them to be a better person themselves (Novogratz, 2020). The main aspect of accompaniment is to provide support for someone but expect nothing in return while also focusing on improving them and not making the journey about yourself and your capabilities. Novogratz (2020) continues by saying that today as a society we are more focused on materialistic things like money, power, and fame but when we should be focused on increasing others' confidence and courage, so when we fail to do so we are putting ourselves in danger too. Helping others on this journey can also help you realize what needs to be done to yourself to become the better version of yourself, but that should not be the goal of your intentions. This is a potential sacrifice to help others as it can sometimes derail your schedule and cost you time, money, and resources (Hall, 2013). But accompaniment is not only about creating a better workplace for those around you but also about creating a better society where if we help someone then they are more likely to help someone in return and the process will continue. No one is above needing accompaniment and most people have the power to give some form of accompaniment in which the benefits from it will help those around us considerably (Novogratz, 2020). Hard skills are important to run a business or major strategic operations but underneath all of that are the soft skills needed to resolve the greatest challenges that we face. 

Now What?

As a leader, it is essential that we make our employees and other members of our group feel that their work is valued both when they succeed and fail. Novogratz (2020) said that all humans want to feel is to feel that they belong to something and that people care about them. I have seen firsthand that when leaders treat their employees like family, those employees will go the extra mile to create mutual success for their careers and the organization. As leaders, we sometimes get caught up in our own problems that we forget that as a leader we are in charge of creating better versions of those around us. Building relationships and being a part of building up one's character and skills is an important aspects of being an effective leader. As a leader accompaniment is important to provide to mentoring, coaching, or providing advice to those in need so that they can succeed in their roles both in the organization and in life in general. Creating that sense of being valued allows them to feel more positive about the work they produce, which in turn can motivate them to continue to work harder and be more engaged.

References 

Hall, J. (2022, October 12). 10 ways to help others that will lead you to Success. Forbes. Retrieved April 12, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2013/05/26/10-ways-to-help-others-that-will-lead-you-to-success/?sh=7d76269c2bce

Novogratz, J. (2020). Manifesto for a moral revolution: Practices to build a Better World. St. Martin's Griffin.

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