I’m constantly asked by managers, “How can I get my employees to ___?”

Fill in the blank: “work as a team,” “step up their performance,” “care about their work,” etc. The question always focuses on fixing the employee. Rarely am I asked, “How can I improve as a leader?”

In most cases, the answer to the second question will also resolve the first. It starts with more self-awareness. Managers can be so focused on everything that needs to get done that they don’t take time to reflect on how their leadership style affects their team’s work. Or maybe they don’t believe they’re the problem at all. It always feels better to point the finger than to look in the mirror.