About ten years ago, I led a team covering an enormous scope. We had three kids, four and under, while living abroad. And I had recently begun a graduate degree. It was a lot, but I could justify each one to myself.
But I felt the stress and would go for long walks to process and clear my head. On one of the walks, I had the thought, "If someone on my team was in the situation I was in, how would I coach them?" The answer was clear. I would encourage them to evaluate and find somewhere to cut back because they were overextended. It was the answer I knew but had been avoiding.
We don't see ourselves clearly, and thus we can make bad choices. It's easy to rationalize our own behavior, give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, ascribe negative observations to the environment. This dilemma is exaggerated for leaders.
This is a brief post for a brief exercise, but it's an exercise that can have a significant longstanding impact.
Ideally, you have someone ahead of you in their leadership journey to coach you and peers alongside you to reflect what they think. But the reality is, leaders don't always have this kind of community. So what can they do?
Here are three steps a leader can use to coach themself.
What if you could anonymize your current situation to try and see it clearly? You can't entirely do this because you're the one leading the process, so you're in the know. But here's how it works.
Write down a factual account of the situation you find yourself in and want coaching for. Write it in the third person as if you were an outside observer. Do your best not to interpret but only state the facts. And I really mean write it down. The process of writing your situation in concrete terms helps cut through the chaos and clutter of everyday life.
Here is a worksheet, if you want a place to write out your situation and advice.
Now imagine someone came to you and told you about their friend and asked for advice. You can even role play here, reading out what you just wrote down. Now consider what questions you would want to ask to understand better or uncover critical details.
Now think about what advice you might give someone asking for a friend. Write down this advice. This step is the one that requires the most disciplined to try and stay impartial, viewing the situation from an outside perspective. This process isn't complicated, but it involves self-control not to try and game the system.
It's easy to rationalize our own behavior, give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, ascribe negative observations to the environment.
So far, this whole process has been done on your own. Now it's time to invite someone else in. Share with them your written account and the advice you gave yourself. Allow them to provide feedback and insight.
Ask them to check in with you at a specific time to see if you've taken the advice you've given yourself. Often, just the act of telling someone else what you've decided is enough to motivate follow through. But knowing someone is going to check solidifies the follow-through.
This is a simple exercise but a powerful one because it can help you avoid a trap of self-deception and instead cultivate growth as a leader.
You want your life to have meaning and impact.
What if your everyday work and life not only felt natural and intuitive but also aligned with your priorities and positively impacted those around you?
Want coaching from another perspective? Currently. I'm offering a handful of free coaching appointments each month.
Team leadership is a management approach focused on leading and guiding a group of individuals working together towards a common goal. A team leader is responsible for providing direction, support, and guidance to the team members, while fostering a positive and productive work environment.
Team leadership involves setting clear goals and expectations for the team, communicating effectively, and building trust and relationships with team members. It also involves empowering team members to take ownership of their work and contribute their unique skills and perspectives to the team's success.
Some key characteristics of effective team leadership include:
Overall, team leadership is a collaborative and empowering approach to management that values communication, trust-building, and results-driven performance.
There are several different styles of team leadership, including:
Overall, each style of team leadership has its own strengths and weaknesses, and effective leaders may use a combination of different styles depending on the situation and the needs of their team.
There are several key skills required for effective team leadership, including:
Overall, effective team leadership requires a combination of interpersonal, decision-making, and management skills, as well as the ability to inspire and empower team members to work collaboratively towards shared goals.
Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy and management style that emphasizes the importance of serving others first before considering one's own needs and desires. It's an approach to leadership that focuses on the well-being and growth of others, rather than solely on achieving organizational goals.
A servant leader prioritizes the needs of their followers or team members, providing them with support, guidance, and mentorship. They are committed to empowering their team members to reach their full potential and achieve their goals.
Some common characteristics of servant leaders include:
Overall, servant leadership is about creating a supportive and empowering environment for others to thrive. By prioritizing the needs of their followers, a servant leader can inspire trust, loyalty, and commitment, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.
Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.
Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy and management style that emphasizes the importance of serving others first before considering one's own needs and desires. It's an approach to leadership that focuses on the well-being and growth of others, rather than solely on achieving organizational goals.
A servant leader prioritizes the needs of their followers or team members, providing them with support, guidance, and mentorship. They are committed to empowering their team members to reach their full potential and achieve their goals.
Some common characteristics of servant leaders include:
Overall, servant leadership is about creating a supportive and empowering environment for others to thrive. By prioritizing the needs of their followers, a servant leader can inspire trust, loyalty, and commitment, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.
Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.
Servant leadership can be beneficial in the workplace in a number of ways, including:
Overall, servant leadership can lead to a more positive, productive, and fulfilling workplace environment, benefiting both employees and the organization as a whole.
Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.
Servant leadership differs from many other leadership styles in several key ways:
Overall, servant leadership is characterized by a focus on serving others, prioritizing empathy and collaboration, and taking a humble and accountable approach to leadership. While other leadership styles may be effective in different contexts, servant leadership can be a powerful tool for creating positive change and empowering others to reach their full potential.
Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.
Are you striving to align your goals with your values and passions?
Wondering how to measure progress or break down large goals into manageable steps?
Are you ready to transform your dreams into reality?
Our Goal Focus Guide + Worksheet is designed for you to discover how effective goal setting can transform your personal and professional life.
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