[12]Tap into Their Passion, Unleash the Energy

SOME PEOPLE THINK that you should keep your distance from those who work for you. Somewhere along the line, you may have been told, “Don’t get too close” or “Some level of fear is good.” According to the research, this is not true. You don’t have to be best friends with your team members. You do, however, need to spend time getting to know them. You need to know about their goals—personal, as appropriate, and professional alike. You need to know what motivates them and how they would like to be held accountable. We say all of this because they need to know that you have their best interests at heart. Leadership scholars Bernard Bass and Bruce Avolio suggest that if your team members know that you ...

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