With Valentine’s Day coming up, many of us focus on celebrating the significant relationships in our lives. While a bit of stretch, I’m going to use this article to focus on the aspect of my job that I love the most: leading my team. That may seem incredibly obvious, since I’m in a leadership position, but I’ve come to believe that this passion isn’t as ubiquitous as you might think.

“I wish you many employees”

I don’t know the origin of that saying, but know that it is meant as a curse, not a blessing. The assumption is more employees means more trouble. In a lot of cases, that’s really true. People are messy. Employees need to be cared for and managed. Many leaders see that as a distraction from their job. I look at it as the best part of my job and that makes me a bit of an odd ball.

This isn’t the only way to lead. I have a broad appreciation for various leadership styles. If you have a deep skillset and prefer to influence indirectly, that’s leadership too. Just because I enjoy leading a large team, doesn’t mean that’s the only legitimate way.

How did I get here?

I didn’t start out this way. I got here gradually. I started my career drawing immense satisfaction from my individual skillset as a technologist. I made magic happen every day and it felt great. However, as I advanced in my career, I learned that I could make a bigger impact by leading technologists instead of just being a technologist.

After a few years of leading small teams, I decided to further my education and pursue a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership. This, along with on-the-job experience, helped me develop the skills I needed to lead larger teams.

Now, it is through the team that I accomplish everything. On my own, I do very little. I support the team and the team achieves. I pour all of my energy into developing, coaching, and inspiring the team.

A blessing or a curse?

If someone says to you, “I wish you many employees,” how do you react? Many would think about the performance reviews and the personnel conflicts, and say, “no thanks.” I think, “wow, with a bigger team, imagine how much more we could accomplish!” That excites me.

I love my job. I love my team. It’s a true joy to lead them.

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