In Ryan Holiday’s fantastic read Stillness is the Key, he takes aim at the importance of focus as a life skill that we all need to better develop within ourselves. By allowing more stillness in our life, we are able to improve our ability to filter out the inconsequential from the essential.
Our ability to identify and take hold of the essential provides us with a clearer lens through which to see our life. And in having this clear vision, we can live with much more intentionality and precision. It is very easy to be bogged down by the inconsequential in our life. The inconsequential tomorrow may turn into the essential a few days down the road, but being present, in this moment, allows us to determine what is absolutely essential in our life now and build our actions around this lever. It’s about prioritizing our actions based on what is essential and forgetting everything else. Especially our inner doubt, judgement, criticism, and fear, for it is these things which command far too much of our attention when we let them take control. Stillness allows us to access our inner capacity to thrive and to scan for the evidence of past success. This is an essential life skill to possess. Stillness allows us to make inconsequential our negative inner narrative and replace it with the essentials needed to thrive. By not giving command to our self-doubt, we eventually lessen the impact it has, making it all but inconsequential in our life. However, this whole journey begins with stillness and building our ability to filter out the inconsequential from the essential. Try more stillness in your life to help create the time and space needed to sit with these ideas. Where do you fall on the spectrum of knowing or not knowing the difference between the inconsequential and the essential? And how do you structure your daily actions around knowing the difference between the two? Thanks for reading.
0 Comments
According to Simon Sinek, great leaders need to have empathy and perspective, but based on his experiences, he believes that many leaders are oftentimes so concerned with their own status or position in the organization that they actually forget what their real job is.
As Simon says, the real job of leadership is not about being ‘in charge’ but rather ‘taking care of those who are in our charge’. Simon has found many of the leaders he works with, who are at the top of their organization, say that everything they do is about their clients. Although this is important, Simon is quick to point out that many of these leaders have actually spent very little or no time at all with clients themselves. It is the people in charge of clients who actually do the important work. So, leaders must prioritize taking care of these people, so that they can do the very best work possible when working with clients (or customers or students). To this end, Sinek points out that many leaders need a reality check, from time to time, as a reminder about what their real role is. When leaders shift the focus away from themselves in order to prioritize taking care of those who are in their charge, they plant the seeds for deep impact in their organization. As I reflect on my own leadership role and the leader that I aspire to be, Simon's work is critically important to my own development. For any leader reading this, what about you and your role? How do you ensure that you are taking care of those who are in your charge? How do you hold yourself accountable to help them be their best? Thanks for reading. Everyone wants to experience happiness in their lives. As if a point on a map, we metaphorically pack our bags and set off on our own journey to reach that destination. Along the way, we can get sidetracked, distracted and oftentimes thrown way off course in our own pursuit of happiness.
With all of life’s complexities and uncertainties, it is impossible to swim in happiness every second of our waking lives. Yet, even in knowing this, we can let ourselves feel overwhelmed, inadequate, and in our constant pursuit of happiness as a destination, we lose sight of the fact that it is actually a state of mind. It's a process not a destination. Here are three things to consider as you explore the theme of happiness in your own life: 1) Research shows that the people who experience more fulfillment in their lives are the ones who develop a strong understanding that they need to let go of the urgency to feel happy all the time. These people accept the ups and downs that naturally come with life. They do not push negative feelings away or attempt to numb them, but instead, they learn to appreciate them as part who they are. To what extent do you allow yourself to sit with negative emotions and understand that these feelings are a natural part of life? 2) Developing deeper curiosity about ourselves and others can open our mind to possibilities. Research has shown that by better understanding the narratives of others, we see different life perspectives. By expanding our curiosity and learning about others, we have a different lens through which to view our own lives. And with this learning can come even more curiosity about our own lives and what may be possible. To what extent do you choose to deliberately pay attention to the narratives of other people in your life? How often do you ask questions to better understand others and their own perspectives and experiences? 3) Neuroscience research has also shown that the act of creating a daily clear goals list is a huge step forward in developing more motivation in our life. With more motivation comes more fulfillment. To take it even further, writing down our daily clear goals list (for the next day) before we go to bed not only helps us sleep better, it puts us in a position to not waste any time the following morning deciding what we need to tackle first in our day. As the list is already made, we can jump into action right away. To what extent do you have very clear, intentional daily goals in your life? How do you record these goals to create more of a sense of accountability in your life? Some food for thought as you think about your own life and what happiness and fulfillment means to you based on your own unique context. We all have the ability to design certain conditions in our life that can support the development of our own happiness and fulfillment. Thanks for reading. World-renowned trust expert Charles Feltman states that the definition of trust is choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person's actions.
The evidence clearly shows that leaders who make themselves vulnerable build a stronger team culture at work. According to best-selling author Brene Brown: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy and creativity. It is the path to finding more meaning and fulfillment in our lives.” Leaders who make themselves vulnerable model that it is OK for their people to do the same. In letting other people see parts of us that may be fragile, we put great trust in others to not hurt us or take advantage of us. There is a natural risk that comes with vulnerability. Vulnerability is not just pouring emotions out. And it is certainly not about blaming others, being disrespectful, or saying whatever we want. Vulnerability is about owning our own emotions and having the courage to expose to others how we are really feeling. When someone has the courage to make themselves vulnerable, we have a tremendous responsibility to acknowledge what they are saying. This is never more true than for leaders. Vulnerability met with silence is a killer, especially in the workplace. It is a sure-fire way to destroy trust, hurt morale, and crush motivation. People can often be uncomfortable when another person makes themselves vulnerable in their presence. It can lead to not knowing what to say in response. Even though it may be difficult, we must always respond. If it's too tough for you to respond then try these nine simple words: “Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts with me.” If we cannot bring ourselves to engage in deeper conversation with the person, then at minimum, using those nine words at least acknowledges the vulnerability shown by the other person. If you are a leader reading this, how do you respond when the people you lead make themselves vulnerable? To what extent do you acknowledge the person's vulnerability? Do you meet their vulnerability with silence or do you invest more deeply in understanding their perspective? How are you modeling vulnerability yourself? Important questions to reflect on as you think about your impact. Thanks for reading. We all have a need to feel valued, seen, heard, and a part of something bigger than just us. Evidence clearly shows that building strong relationships is pivotal to the success of any organization. Most people understand this.
But, how often is action actually taken to achieve it? As much as we all want to feel valued, be seen, be heard, and feel a sense of belonging, to what extent are we: -Valuing others -Seeing others -Listening to others -Helping others feel a deeper sense of belonging It’s easy to get caught up in our own needs at time, but every great organization has an established culture of building strong relationships that are reciprocal in nature. At the core of these types of organizations, all stakeholders feel that: As important as it is to feel valued, we value others. As important as it is to be seen, we see others. As important as it is to be heard, we listen to others. As important as it is to belong, we create a sense of belonging for others. Leaders play a huge role in modeling this behavior. They must be exemplary in their actions so that others follow suit. In creating these conditions, their organizations will thrive on multiple different levels. Thanks for reading. Trying to navigate the space between average and great can be a hugely difficult undertaking when it comes to our own growth and learning. It can be so much easier to take the safer option which is to not change, not grow, not learn, and not develop ourselves. Especially when we are already doing pretty decent work to begin with.
As Seth Godin says though: “On average, every population is dull. Individually and collectively, the slide toward average sands off all of the interesting edges, destroys energy, interest, and possibility.” With each passing week, month and year comes the opportunity to seek deeper fulfillment in our lives. Some people tackle this challenge with ferocity while others do not. If we are to do work that matters, staying still will never get us to where we want to be. To some that may be deeply personal work that helps them to overcome certain demons in their lives that stand in the way of their well-being. To others that may be up-skilling themselves to get the promotion they are seeking. And to others, it might be taking the chance to seek the feedback needed to genuinely grow and learn within their own professional role at work. Whatever it is, sliding toward average will never lead to growth which, in turn, will never lead to deeper fulfillment. As you are reading this, reflect on your own life. Are you sliding toward average or creeping toward great? How do you know? What evidence do you have? And what are the next steps needed to turn the needle consistently toward great? Thanks for reading. There is no doubt that strong and effective leadership focuses their efforts on inspiring employees to be genuinely engaged and deeply motivated at work.
By continually improving workplace culture and planting the seeds for ongoing professional growth, great leaders are able to retain talented individuals. Doing so, without question, helps to promote the health and success of their organization. But this is so much easier said than done. I was recently speaking to a person who leads a small organization. This leader is relatively new to the organization, but has doubled down on their efforts to better understand how to create a more vibrant workplace culture for their people. This person has also acknowledged that because their organization is relatively small, it is oftentimes seen, by the employees, as a stepping stone to bigger, more established places of employment. The fact that they often lose employees after only a year or two makes it very challenging to take their organization to the next level. In knowing this, they have fully committed themselves to building the very best environment possible for professional learning and growth. They want to be able to proudly say: "Although we are a small organization, we are going to offer our employees an amazing professional learning environment that will allow them to thrive and flourish while employed here. Our hope is that by providing this type of professional learning environment, our employees will not only deepen their own skillset, but if we get it right, they may choose to stay put rather than move on to other organizations." This leader understands that it's their responsibility to do whatever it takes to create this type of culture and they are willing to invest the needed time and energy into making it happen. Great leaders know what is within their own internal locus of control and what is not. And they are always willing to be courageously bold in their efforts to lead their organizations in authentic and sustainable ways. These types of leaders create a lasting impact on their organizations which is evidenced by higher rates of staff retention. Although some employees may still move on, they will more than likely leave feeling as though they contributed something special to the organization and will have very positive things to say to others about their time there. There is nothing more powerful for future recruiting than this. If you are a leader reading this, how do you ensure that you are continually planting the seeds for professional fulfillment within your organization. Thanks for reading. The world renowned Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, once said that the first time he saw the earth from space, he could not believe how small he felt; how insignificant he believed himself to be looking into the vastness of the universe in direct relation to the size of earth below him.
In that moment, he wished that he could grab a hold of every leader in the world and drag them into space with him, to look down at the world and see it for what it really is. To help them understand how infinitesimally small they really are. A perfect metaphor to remind them about the importance of taking on a much bigger, wider perspective beyond themselves. Doing so would help remove them from their own ego and see that they are just one among countless others in the world. In Chris’ own words: “Because our whole planet was just outside my window in space, I felt even more aware of and connected to the 7 other billion people who call it home.” If every leader could see this perspective, they would realize that they are just one among many in the organization striving to do their best to contribute to the world in their own unique way. Leadership is difficult. There is no one right recipe for getting leadership right. It takes both a granular view yet also a much bigger perspective. The very best leaders understand this. They understand that, although they may be at the top of the food chain, so to speak, in their own organizations, they are not the center of the universe. These people lead with humility, poise, compassion, and purpose. And their ultimate aim is to always help others rise, be seen, and contribute their very best. Perhaps, taking on an astronaut perspective, is a great reminder to all leaders that they are only here for a brief, fleeting moment in time and how they choose to use that time matters. With every sunrise comes another opportunity for leaders to be their very best for those who they serve. To connect. To bring hope. To give purpose. To empower. That's what they will be remembered by. Thanks for reading. Steve Kerr is the the head coach of the Golden State Warriors professional basketball team. In just his eighth season as an NBA head coach, he is already considered to be among the top basketball coaches in the history of the league. Steve already has three championship titles as head coach. In addition to these three championships, he also won five championships as a player for the Chicago Bulls. Steve leads with his heart and, although very clear and intentional about the vision he has for his club, he is also able to communicate that vision on a daily basis. Far from having a ‘his way or the highway’ type of attitude as many coaches demonstrate at times, Steve involves his players every step of the way when it comes to their style of play, strategy, and team planning. He is always willing to listen carefully to his players and allows them to make their own choices on the court when presenting them with options during games and practices. When they choose an option that is not his, he encourages them to run with it and doesn’t look at it as a threat to his character or bruise to his ego. He leads by example, honors player voice, but also guides his club with a sense of quiet confidence and firmness. What makes Steve a great coach is his willingness to let go and allow his players to own their decisions. However, to be clear, these decisions must align with the organization’s goals and vision. It's not a free for all or about letting the loudest players control the team. In providing his players with the autonomy needed to take ownership, he has creating an environment that allows his players the inner capacity to excel at their craft. How can this not be great for the team and organization? Great leaders must make firm decisions when needed in order to move the organization towards its mission and vision. The very best leaders know how to carefully navigate the fine balance needed between firmness and genuine autonomy in their organization.
The skills necessary to lead in this manner can be strengthened. Any leader can get better when they set their mind to it, but it takes deep reflection and a high degree of self-awareness to make the continual changes needed to grow and learn. As a leader, how do you hold yourself accountable for your own growth and learning? How do you communicate the ways you are hoping to get better with those who you serve? And lastly, how do you involve them in providing you with the feedback needed to continually develop your leadership practice? Thanks for reading. In some cases the above quote is very true. In other cases not true at all. But, if we were to honestly reflect on the meetings that happen in our organization, what can be learned? When people are in a position of holding the time of others, how do they ensure they use it wisely to honor those who provided them with their presence? Is the air filled with an endless stream of words as there are so many important things to say? Or, has the person in charge of the meeting consciously chosen to be as precise as possible in their language to allow time for other voices to be heard? Meetings are important. In fact, they are critical to the success of any organization. Professional gatherings such as this are a chance to share information vital to helping the organization run as efficiently as possible. As important as meetings are, how impactful are they and what does the research show in regards to the effectiveness of meetings in general? The Harvard Business Review set out to find these answers and this is what they came up with. “We surveyed 182 senior managers in a range of industries: 65% said meetings keep them from completing their own work. 71% said meetings are unproductive and inefficient. 64% said meetings come at the expense of deep thinking. 62% said meetings miss opportunities to bring the team closer together.” Data Speaks! As the data shown above is based on the perspective of leadership, how might other people in the organization feel about meetings? Chances are the people who fall below leadership in the hierarchical structure of the organization feel the same or have an even harsher view of the effectiveness of meetings. As well, based on the research, the general consensus seems to indicate that meetings are often poorly timed, badly run, or both. So, whose feet need to be held to the fire here? Who should be accountable for meetings being run in a different way- a way that honors each stakeholder in the organization? Dysfunctional meetings hurt morale, lower motivation, and tune people out. If you are a leader reading this, what is your role in this and what might be done to ensure that people walk out of meetings feeling uplifted, inspired, informed, and knowing next steps? As well, how do the leaders in an organization hold each other accountable for ensuring that all meetings are run using productive and impactful structures and routines? Here are a couple of ideas to consider if you haven't tried them out before. Exit Ticket FEEDBACK!! The first thing that can and should be done is to make it common practice to seek feedback about the effectiveness of meetings. Asking people’s opinions and getting them to share their suggestions and ideas with regularity builds deep trust and fosters respect. This type of feedback should be used with all meetings, especially after senior leadership meetings. Leaders providing important feedback to other leaders in the organization is powerful and models, from the top, what is expected of each other. Doing so provides the seeds for consistent growth and building a culture that emphasizes that what people think truly matters. This can be done with using two-colored sticky notes. Any meeting participants fill out the sticky notes and leave them on the door or wall on the way out. Easy! The facilitator of the meeting has immediate data to act on next time around. This is a very useful strategy when implemented with consistency. The Use of Protocols The consistent use of protocols not only helps to facilitate people’s thinking, it equalizes voice in meetings and also provides a sound structure for getting the group to think more critically when it comes to making important decisions that will impact the organization. As well, protocols allow for people to be more innovative, creative, and to think more deeply about possible initiatives to help move the organization forward in highly productive ways. Organizational vision does not always have to be top down. By creating protocols that allow for the wisdom and insight of all stakeholders to be heard, leaders encourage opportunities for vision to be cascaded up through the organization. This not only empowers people within the organization to take responsibility, it also creates a much deeper sense that 'this is our vision' not just, this is 'their vision'. If feedback within an organization indicates that meetings are run with great efficiency and impact, hats off to leadership. They are doing a wonderful job and I hope they keep it up.
However, if everyone in the organization knows there is room for improvement and they choose to do nothing and accept the norm, nothing will ever change. Imagine the true impact that wasted time has on long-term productivity within the organization. So much time is lost through poorly run meetings. I hope this post challenges any leader to better think their way through how they can refine their meetings. This not only honors time, but creates even more time to do much deeper, more impactful work in their organization. Please share any ideas in the comment box below that you've implemented to make meetings more productive in your own workplace. Thanks for reading. |
AuthorKAUST Faculty, Pedagogical Coach. Presenter & Workshop Leader.IB Educator. #RunYourLife podcast host. Archives
September 2022
|