Editor’s note: This continues Jack Dunigan’s series about unsung heroes in the workplace, and the 16 traits they all share.
“You can buy a person’s hands but you can’t buy his heart. The heart is where enthusiasm and loyalty are.”
—Anonymous
You can’t build a team without team players. Experience teaches that those who hold a job solely for personal advancement will not be team players. They will, whenever the opportunity presents itself, choose personal gain over group gain.
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Now, I am not so naïve as to think every person should be altruistic and self-sacrificing. I’m not even inferring that. I am, however, suggesting that there are associates who can balance personal ambition (not a bad thing) with team-building.
Loyalty manifests itself in two dimensions—personal and corporate.
Loyal associates are people who will have your back, not stab you in it. They are people in whom you can place complete confidence knowing they will do what is right for themselves and right for you.
Characteristics of loyal associates
First, loyal associates are single-minded. They have one objective, and that is to further the company’s vision as you have defined it. I cannot emphasize enough that all leaders and managers must have a clearly defined vision for their work. They should know in very specific terms what will be the end result of their efforts and the efforts of those they recruit. That vision will compel those who embrace it to see how their daily tasks propel the organization toward its ultimate manifestation.
The problem is that when those who work with you have a different vision of what should be the results of their work, they cannot support your vision. Do not be uncertain or reticent about promoting your vision. It is the primary responsibility of all leaders. Managers whose role is to organize the efforts and activities of their group, have a “subvision,” if you will. They see how their department or group fits into and advances the vision of the entire organization.
Remember this: Two visions = “di-vision.” When division exists, the chances for destructive, mean-spirited competitiveness multiply exponentially.
Second, loyal associates are not sycophants. Because they are demonstrably loyal to you and to your cause (the organization or business), they have earned the right and responsibility to speak up when they question the values being manifested, the decisions being made, and the actions being taken. Do not conclude that I ever suggest the idea of blind loyalty. It is dangerous and foolish to expect it from your associates and employees. Blind loyalty is the demand of tyrants. When people always agree with you, they either are not thinkers, or they lack courage.
Third, loyal people remain when all others flee.
“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
—J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”
—Oprah Winfrey
Loyal associates are enduring associates. They are in it for the long haul, through thick and thin, good and bad. They possess the quality of faithfulness motivated not by selfish ambition but by strength of character and a resolute heart.
Fourth, loyalty indicates an agreement of values. People choose to associate with you and your organization or company because they respect you and your company’s values.
Fifth, loyalty works two directions. “You’ve got to give loyalty down, if you want loyalty up,” said Donald Regan, former secretary of the treasury and chief of staff to President Reagan. He couldn’t be more correct. Loyalty is a two-way street. To get loyalty, you need to prove your own.
Ineffective leaders see their associates as objects, devices to be manipulated to advance one’s purposes. Effective leaders see their associates as partners and contributors to the process, and enablers of the vision that makes fulfillment possible. Effective leaders do three things:
1. Extend your reach
2. Multiply your effectiveness
3. Divide your work
(If you’ve seen those three attributes before, it means you’ve been paying attention to my previous articles. Thank you.)
If you expect people to have your back, you’d better have theirs. Why? Because “You can buy a person’s hands but you can’t buy his heart. The heart is where enthusiasm and loyalty are.”
Loyalty indicates enthusiasm, that intangible source of energy and creativity that makes the entire machine work more efficiently and effectively. You can buy time and effort. You can rent cooperation. You can neither buy nor rent loyalty. It resides within the heart of a character-driven associate.
Comments
A daring column
Yes, Mr. Dunigan: in times when "everybody is looking for something", namely money, writing about loyalty, takes courage. The latin "do ut des" has been variously translated, not last the "trange frange" in Serbian language. Loyalty can neither be bought nor built: I recently wrote some lines on the subject "auditor of fortune", meaning that, more or less, we are all mercenary soldiers of the finance army - though often we don't realize it. Anatole France did. I believe in loyalty, indeed, my inner scars demonstrate it, were they visible. Being loyal is a costly merchandise nowadays: you put it onto your cart and you go to the market square; and there'll be always somebody approaching you and ask"what's the discount?" Thank you.
Loyalty
Jack, You just nailed it right. Interesting read and like the closing remarks "Loyalty indicates enthusiasm, that intangible source of energy and creativity that makes the entire machine work more efficiently and effectively. You can buy time and effort. You can rent cooperation. You can neither buy nor rent loyalty. It resides within the heart of a character-driven associate."
Thank you for the interesting article.
Regards,Sudarsan
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