"People are messy!" he said as he looked out over the sea of faces. "When they come to work for you, you don't just get their job skills and technical expertise, you get their sick children, their dog with a broken hip, and the fight they had with their spouse before they arrived at work. If that isn't enough, you also get their past accomplishments and failures along with their temperament, background and worldview." Even though the statement got a good laugh from the audience, besides a few head nods and verbal agreements, the comment struck a dissonance with many of the leaders who were there for a day-long workshop.

Leaders have a dual obligation to the organization at large and to the people they lead.  They have goals, deadlines, and quotas that have to be met, and they need their teams to function well in order to be successful. However, they also have the obligation to lead and manage their human resources in a humane fashion. If we lived in a perfect world with perfect people, neither of these would be a problem.  But we don't, and that's why we need strong leadership. So what happens when you have messy people on your team? Quite simply, as a leader, you must love your people.

Now you need to know that I am not talking about or advocating a romantic love that makes HR policy writers add addendum after addendum to the employee manual.  I am referring to genuinely caring about the individuals on your team as people first, then and only then as units of productivity (FTE).

Before you tune me out as a starry-eyed Pollyanna, let me challenge you to reflect on some of the leaders you have experienced during your lifetime. Which leader or leaders do you admire the most? What qualities make up the character of that leader? Did you feel cared for? How did that leader show compassion when it would have been just as easy to close their eyes? Did they ever challenge you to reach beyond your perceived potential and step into your own greatness?

While preparing for this article, I reflected on leaders who have loved me well and those who only saw me as a unit of productivity.  The leaders who loved me well showed exemplary leadership qualities that honored me as a unique individual, equipped and gifted. Some of my leaders were very cognizant of how they intentionally cared for their teams, while others may have been more informal and intuitional in their approach. Either way, their behaviors have informed my own leadership style.

In his book, The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for a Quantum Age, Phil Eastman contends, "Our definition of Love as a component of a leader's character is having a deep-seated care, compassion, and concern for your people . . . Love as a characteristic of leadership challenges us to see our team members as people, first and foremost." Eastman recounts a story of the hard-driving, performance driven CEO, but one who knew how to personally connect with his people across the organization. This CEO made a permanent impression on Phil as a young banker which in turn made him want to be a better leader. And a better leader he is!

We know that accepting a formal leadership role is like getting a t-shirt with a target painted right on your back.  It takes a certain kind of courage to put yourself out on the frontlines day after day on behalf of your people or organization. But being a leader is more than holding a particular position. There are countless leaders quietly going about their daily tasks influencing, encouraging, directing, and listening to those around them. Both types of leaders are essential for a person's well being.

Over the years, I have observed at least three specific leadership roles that overlap much like that of a simple Venn diagram with the recipient or benefactor maybe even you in the middle. These roles are: Champion, Mentor, and Coach.

Champion: The leader who supports and believes "you can do it!"

The raw truth is, sometimes life gets in the way of living! When this happens, isn't it nice to have a champion in your corner who believes in you? At those times, the champion steps in with words of confidence and affirmation even when we may find it difficult to believe them for ourselves. How can you support the individuals on your team who have had an extra dose of life thrown at them? Is there an opportunity to listen with compassion in order to better understand their situation? When was the last time you found yourself being someone's champion?

In the most recent past when I found myself unemployed, my email boxed filled up with notes of encouragement.  I spent the first six weeks of unemployment going out to lunch and having coffee with leaders who were quite literally my champions throughout the job search process. Even after I accepted my new position with Idaho Commission on Aging, many of the leaders checked back with me making sure all was well.

Mentor: The leader who takes the time to show you "how to do it!"

In her powerful book, Bridges out of Poverty, Dr. Ruby Payne writes, "The mentor is someone willing to give some time and energy in helping someone else succeed." The mentor offers the lessons learned on their own journey to help us take the next steps on ours. To invest yourself in the life of another not only helps them go further but also exemplifies a selfless, genuine concern for those in your care. Have you been mentored before? Whose face comes to mind when you think of that leader who took extra time on your behalf? Is it time to rethink your leadership possibilities and perhaps pass them on?

Without the mentors in my life, I sometimes wonder where I'd be personally, as well as professionally.  Mentoring doesn't always have to be formal, scheduled, and rigid. Some of my most profound mentors are those who took the time to listen and advise at different junctures in my life.  Coincidently, some of the people I have had the privilege to mentor over time sat at my kitchen counter while I was preparing dinner and talked about things that were important to them.

Coach: The leader who inspires "you to stick with it!"

Tough love! This is caring enough about the person and the overall outcome of their particular goal to say the hard thing even when it is uncomfortable for both of you.  My running coach was like that.  Actually, he was relentless. About the time I thought my lungs would explode he'd yell, "One more mile!" The cool thing about him was, more often than not, he would join us for that last mile.  He knew what it took to complete a marathon, and a simple mile or two was not going to prepare us for the big day.

The same is true about other goals worthy of pursuing.  Many times success is determined by sticking with it until you are done. Have you ever felt like giving up? Throwing in the towel?  Do you ever wish you had a coach to come alongside and tell you you can quit but not today? How have you coached the individuals in your organization? What's the name of your coach, the one who made a difference?

People truly are messy but that's what makes life extraordinary.  As leaders, we are exhorted to fill in the gap, believe the impossible, and love our people.  Demonstrating genuine care and concern for those in our circle of influence isn't always easy.  Sometimes it's downright hard, but leadership never promised to be easy.  Authentic leadership calls forth our best and compels us to make the most of ourselves and others.

Lorene Rasmussen is a freelance writer, editor and regular contributor to The Leadership Advisor.  She is currently training for her fifth marathon, because Phil believed in her abiity to complete the first one. 

Lorene earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Boise State University and is a certified Life Coach through Genesis Enterprises in Seattle, Washington.