Rhythm is Critical for the Longterm Health of a Leader

A cadence of life to guide you.

July 31, 2023
Rhythm of windows on a building

Just like you want a visual rhythm to guide you through a layout, we need to establish a cadence of life that guides us through the various seasons.

As we wrap up our series on the design elements of leader, the topic of rhythm will help you apply what you’ve learned and continue to grow.

If we and our world were designed to live in rhythm, we should embrace it and allow it to orient our leadership journey.
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From line to circle

In the western world, we tend to take a linear worldview. We prefer to represent events chronologically on a timeline from left to right.

However our world has many natural rhythms, such as days, months, seasons, and years. These run in cycles, and much of the world still holds a cyclical rather than linear world view.

a rhythm of review helps us as leaders mark our growth over time.

The exhortation to “take life one day at a time” reflects a cyclical perspective. The fact that we sleep every night demonstrates how we are made for a cadence or rhythm that runs in a circle.

So how do we take this understanding and apply it to our leadership?

If we and our world were designed to live in rhythm, we should embrace it and allow it to orient our leadership journey.

We can create a rhythm of reflection, evaluation, and growth as a leader with some intentionality.

A rhythm of review

Over ten years ago, after reading Getting Things Done, I began implementing reviews. I would conduct them weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. I was using OmniFocus to organize my work, and it would remind me at the right time to do my review, helping me build the habit.

This rhythm really helped me reflect and make visible what was happening in my life and leadership.

When I conducted the review, I could see my answers from the previous review. I was not only getting a better view of where I was but also where I had been.

My kids can’t perceive how much they grow in a day, week, or even month. But when we mark their height on one post of the bunk bed and they can see progress in something that is otherwise invisible in their daily lives.

Similarly, a rhythm of review helps us as leaders mark our growth over time.

Start small using a weekly review with a few questions. It could be

  1. How did I do last week at achieving my goals?
  2. What, if anything, was an obstacle?
  3. How can I make changes to improve?
  4. What are my goals for this next week?

You may notice those questions are essentially the questions of the daily standup in Scrum.

One of the reasons I really embrace the Agile methodology and Scrum framework for organizing people and projects is because it takes advantage of this natural rhythm to make things transparent (reflection), to inspect (evaluation), and to adapt (growth).

I’ve taken a number of these Agile principles or concepts and applied them to both my professional and personal life.

Longer, slower rhythms

You can move beyond the daily and weekly rhythm to a monthly, quarterly or yearly rhythm. These long-term rhythms focus more on alignment with your priorities. Questions I’ve asked for these reviews include:

  1. How was my priority of being present with people demonstrated this month?
  2. Where could I improve on being fully present with others?
  3. How did I grow this past month?
  4. What area do I want to grow in this next month?
  5. What do I need to stop doing in order to create more space for what’s important?

A cadence of self-reflection is helpful, but as we mentioned in our post on contrast, we have blind spots and need others to see them.

Each year I have a 360, where four to seven people provide feedback on specific areas of my leadership. I also conduct these for those I lead.

Just like you want a visual rhythm to guide you through a layout, we need to establish a cadence of life that guides us through the various seasons.

If this isn’t a part of your organization’s culture, you can either help start it or run it on your own. Either way, regular feedback from others is critical to our growth as leaders.

It’s easy to feel stuck or uncertain about how to move ahead. Maybe you feel overloaded or like you’re just spinning your wheels. What if you had someone alongside you on the journey?

Ordering you time.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve tried to create a rhythm to my day, week, and three-week sprint.

To get started, I found it helpful to print out blank daily and weekly calendars. Using a pencil and eraser, I experimented with different options to give my work a more regular rhythm. Some things I’ve tried over the years.

  • Theming the days of the week. A day for deep thinking work, a day for team meetings, two days for coaching and mentorship, and a day for growth and development.
  • Theming half days. Similar to the first one, but made things a little more flexible.
  • Selecting one team or priority that gets higher focus for the week. In seasons that I’ve had a considerable leadership scope, this helped me go deeper than just keeping things moving.

However you do it, look for ways to create momentum and focus while stewarding your energy and attention throughout the day and week to focus on the right things.

We can create a rhythm of reflection, evaluation, and growth as a leader with some intentionality.

Related Guides

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Next Steps in Your Leader Design

This wraps up the series on leader design. I hope you found it helpful on your journey of becoming a servant leader.

Action Plan

The leader design short course packages all of this into a 7-day personal guide.

You’ll get daily content, including action steps, resources, and worksheets for you to further develop your design as a leader.

Frequently Asked Questions

Team Leadership

What is team leadership?

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:

  1. Communication: Team leaders communicate clearly and effectively with their team members, keeping them informed about goals, expectations, and progress.
  2. Vision and strategy: Effective team leaders have a clear vision for what they want to achieve and a strategy for how to get there, while also being flexible and adaptable when necessary.
  3. Empowerment: Good team leaders empower their team members to make decisions and take ownership of their work, while also providing support and guidance as needed.
  4. Trust-building: Team leaders build trust and strong relationships with their team members, creating a positive and productive work environment.
  5. Results-oriented: Finally, effective team leaders are results-oriented, focusing on achieving goals and driving performance while also valuing the well-being and development of their team members.

Overall, team leadership is a collaborative and empowering approach to management that values communication, trust-building, and results-driven performance.

Learn more about leadership.

What are the different styles of team leadership?

There are several different styles of team leadership, including:

  1. Democratic leadership: In this style, the leader encourages open communication and participation from all team members in decision-making processes.
  2. Autocratic leadership: This style involves the leader making decisions and taking control over the team's direction, often with little input from team members.
  3. Transformational leadership: This style focuses on inspiring and motivating team members to achieve their full potential, often by setting a clear vision and communicating goals effectively.
  4. Servant leadership: A servant leader prioritizes the needs of their team members, focusing on serving and empowering them to achieve their goals.
  5. Laissez-faire leadership: In this style, the leader provides minimal guidance or direction, allowing team members to take ownership of their work and make decisions independently.
  6. Transactional leadership: This style involves setting clear goals and expectations for team members and providing rewards or discipline based on performance.
  7. Situational leadership: This approach involves adapting one's leadership style to fit the specific situation or needs of the team at any given time.

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.

Learn more about leadership.

What are the different skills required for team leadership?

There are several key skills required for effective team leadership, including:

  1. Clear: Team leaders must be to communicate effectively with their team members, setting clear expectations and goals, providing feedback, and keeping everyone informed about progress and changes.
  2. Active listening: Leaders need to be able to listen actively to their team members, hear their concerns, ideas, and suggestions, and work collaboratively to find solutions.
  3. Empathy: Good team leaders value empathy, recognizing and understanding the perspectives of their team members, and working to build trust and strong relationships
  4. Decision-making: Leaders must be able to make informed decisions based on available information and input from team members, while also being decisive when necessary.
  5. Problem-solving: Effective team leaders must be able to identify and solve problems that arise within the team, working collaboratively to find creative and effective solutions.
  6. Motivation and empowerment: Leaders must be able to motivate and empower their team members to take ownership of their work, overcome challenges, and achieve their full potential.
  7. Delegation and management: Team leaders must be able to delegate tasks effectively, manage resources and timelines, and oversee the work of the team to ensure quality and efficiency.

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.

Learn more about leadership.

What is 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:

  1. Empathy: Servant leaders value empathy, placing themselves in the shoes of their followers to better understand their needs and motivations.
  2. Listening: They are active listeners, taking the time to listen to their followers' concerns, feedback, and ideas.
  3. Commitment to development: Servant leaders prioritize the growth and development of their followers, providing opportunities for learning and development.
  4. Humility: They recognize their own limitations and seek input from others to make informed decisions.
  5. Stewardship: Servant leaders view themselves as stewards of their organization, working to create a positive impact for all stakeholders.

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

What is 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:

  1. Empathy: Servant leaders value empathy, placing themselves in the shoes of their followers to better understand their needs and motivations.
  2. Listening: They are active listeners, taking the time to listen to their followers' concerns, feedback, and ideas.
  3. Commitment to development: Servant leaders prioritize the growth and development of their followers, providing opportunities for learning and development.
  4. Humility: They recognize their own limitations and seek input from others to make informed decisions.
  5. Stewardship: Servant leaders view themselves as stewards of their organization, working to create a positive impact for all stakeholders.

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.

How can servant leadership be beneficial in the workplace?

Servant leadership can be beneficial in the workplace in a number of ways, including:

  1. Improved employee engagement and job satisfaction: When employees feel supported, valued, and empowered by their leaders, they tend to be more engaged and satisfied with their work.
  2. Increased collaboration and teamwork: Servant leaders prioritize communication, collaboration, and trust-building, which can lead to stronger relationships and more effective teamwork.
  3. Higher levels of productivity and innovation: When leaders empower their team members to take ownership of their work and contribute their ideas, it can lead to higher levels of productivity and innovation.
  4. Reduced turnover and absenteeism: Employees who feel supported and valued are less likely to leave their jobs or call in sick, leading to reduced turnover and absenteeism rates.
  5. Improved organizational culture: Servant leadership can create a positive organizational culture that values growth, development, and well-being for all stakeholders, which can lead to improved morale and outcomes.

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.

How does servant leadership differ from other leadership styles?

Servant leadership differs from many other leadership styles in several key ways:

  1. Focus on serving others: Servant leaders prioritize the needs and well-being of their followers over their own interests, while many other leadership styles focus more on achieving organizational goals.
  2. Empathy and listening skills: Servant leaders value empathy and active listening skills to better understand the needs and perspectives of their followers, while some other leadership styles may be more focused on asserting authority or making decisions without input from others.
  3. Collaboration and teamwork: Servant leaders prioritize collaboration and teamwork, seeking to empower and develop their followers to achieve their full potential, while other leadership styles may be more focused on competition or individual achievement.
  4. Humility and accountability: Servant leaders view themselves as stewards of their organization, prioritizing the well-being of all stakeholders and taking responsibility for their decisions, while some other leadership styles may be more focused on personal ambition or avoiding blame.

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.

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