Why “Hospitable” Leadership?
A great quote that Kat Gordon shared with us during the training was “A good host knows they aren’t always the most important person at the party, but a truly great host makes each guest feel as if THEY are!”
Basically, a good workplace is like a “party/event” with a “host” (and maybe some “co-hosts” sprinkled in for support), along with all of the “guests.”
For this metaphor to work for IPS, we can view the events as team meetings, 1:1 supervision sessions, time spent working with our clients, etc. The term guests refers to coworkers, supervisees, clients, the parents of our clients, etc. The term host refers to any leader, which can be a role shared by many.
For example, an RBT is a host when they are walking their client back to their parents and explaining in detail how the client’s day went. A counselor is a host when they are working with their clients in individual, family, or group therapy sessions. And our admin team are hosts while helping staff find what they need, cleaning the bathrooms when the toilet overflows, and ensuring clients are greeted when they arrive.
Another big take away from the training is that in order for the event to be successful, we must harness the contributions (e.g., time, talents) of the individuals to create an experience that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
Above, I’ve outlined what hospitable leadership is, but before we break down the 6 habits over the next several weeks, I want to outline what it is not:
Hospitable leadership is not a leadership “style” — as we can all lead in our own way!
Hospitable leadership is not giving others everything they want or ask for!
Hospitable leadership is not just one person’s role.
Hospitable leadership is not being (or acting like) a martyr!
It takes a team and a healthy work culture to help us achieve IPS’s mission and we look forward to incorporating the habits into each of our routines moving forward! Join me next week for Putting the Mission First!
