Here we go:
1. They show up on time.
I know a lot of leaders who manage far less than any of my guests who are always running late. Usually they talk about how busy they are and excuse it.
But not one of my guests has been late so far for their interview. They are precise. To the minute.
This challenges me because as much as I value being on time, I sometimes show up a few minutes past due. This might only happen a few times each month, but it’s still a failure on my part as a leader.
When you show up on time, you not only steward your time well, you steward other people’s time better too.
2. They do their homework.
I make it a habit to send out questions and an interview tip sheet before each interview.
Honestly, I never expected most of the leaders to read it. I know how busy they are and felt fortunate to get an hour of their time.
Every leader I interviewed had read the questions in advance. What blew me away is some of them took it further.
Andy Stanley made notes. So had many other leaders.
So just how busy are you again as a leader?
3. They call you by name.
Many of the people in these early days of the podcasts are my friends and colleagues, but some truthfully I just knew well enough to ask to be on the show.
But what blew me away is how all of them called me by name, not just in the pre-recording set up, but during the interview.
It’s very endearing when someone knows and remembers your name.
As a leader, it’s hard to remember the names of everyone you meet. But it’s so important. I wrote this post a few years ago about my struggle to remember names and outlined some techniques I use to help me when I’m stuck.
If you want to be a better leader, remember names. And use them. It’s that simple.
