Seth's Blog : "I've got your back"

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"I've got your back"
We don’t hear these words anymore. And if we hear them, like the article below, you don’t know whether they mean it, or not.
As a manager and leader of any level, our people need to know if we have their back. I have known many, and heard many more of how managers and leaders say these words, but don’t mean it. At the first sign of struggle or challenges, self-preservation takes precedence.
Maybe my perspective on this is slanted, because I was from the Army. The belief that your life is in your buddies’ hands, is quite literal. The US Marines Corp’s motto, said it succinctly – Semper Fi (short for Fidelis), Always Faithful. They don’t think about it. It just is.
If we want to retain our people, our good people, we need to develop camaraderie and loyalty, which can only come from honest and earnestly saying and meaning “I’ve got your back”.
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"I've got your back"

P18ButchCassidyThese are the words that entrepreneurs, painters, artists, statesmen, customer service pioneers and writers need to hear.
Not true. They don't need to hear them, they need to feel them.
No artist needs a fair weather friend, an employee or customer or partner who waits to do the calculus before deciding if they're going to be there for them.
No, if you want her to go all in, if you want her to take the risk and brave the fear, then it sure helps if you're there too, no matter what. There's a cost to that, a pain and risk that comes from that sort of trust. After all, it might not work. Failure (or worse! embarrassment) might ensue. That's precisely why it's worth so much. Because it's difficult and scarce.
Later, when it's all good and it's all working, your offer of support means very little. The artist never forgets the few who came through when it really mattered.
Who's got your back? More important, whose back do you have?

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