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The Thoughtful Leaders™ BlogLead like a duck
When things get frantic, do you get frantic? Can those who work with you and live with you notice your frenetic energy? And do they then get frantic themselves? An essential leadership skill – whether you’re leading an organization, a team, a project, or a family – is to learn to flow with the chaos and show a calm demeanor to the people around you. Related Posts:2 Responses to “Lead like a duck”Leave a ReplyHow to be a coach at work Related Posts:Leave a ReplyWhat Are You Building? A traveler is passing by a construction site where he sees three workers. He asks the first: “What are you doing?” The worker says, “I’m cutting this stone.” The traveler asks the next man, “What are you doing?” The second worker says, “I’m earning a paycheck.” The traveler asks the next, “What are you doing?” And the third worker says, “I’m building a magnificent cathedral.” Related Posts:Leave a ReplyPerfection is overrated
I was sitting in the car the other day, listening to my daughter teach my son to read. He clearly was making mistakes and he clearly was trying. The fact that he was learning and that his reading was absolutely not perfect didn’t deter him. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyDoes executive coaching really work?
Related Posts:2 Responses to “Does executive coaching really work?”
Leave a ReplySelf-promotion is a good thing
Have you ever noticed how stuck we get in our own perceptions, and especially our perceptions of ourselves? I hear it all the time – “that’s just the way I am,” people will share. “I always go too fast,” (or slow). “I’m never good at those things.” “I can’t do that.” Related Posts:Leave a ReplyAre there bullies in your workplace?
Related Posts:Leave a ReplyLet it go
A friend of mine used to tell me how she’d be mad at her boyfriend, and he wouldn’t even know. “We’re fighting,” she’d say, “And he has no idea.” It was clear to her that she was expending energy with her anger and frustration, and it wasn’t affecting him at all. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyIs it a good thing to be asleep on the job?
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Last week we blogged about the benefits of hiring an executive coach and offered a tool for assessing whether you are ready for coaching. As you probably are aware, we believe strongly in the power of coaching as a tool for achieving your goals, going for what you want, and being an even better you. Who wouldn’t benefit from that?!
I was reminded last week of the following parable:
The other day I was at a Women’s Leadership event, and I was struck by the power and charisma of one of the speakers. She was relatively young – in her thirties, African-American, and poised to step into leadership of the privately-owned firm founded by her father – within a largely male-dominated industry. She was amazing, and she also had, at least from the outside, so many potential challenges and obstacles in front of her.
Earlier this week my family watched a program on bullying among teenagers, a subject that schools across the country are grappling with, as bullying takes place in school, outside of school, and in cyberspace. The program brought unsuspecting teens into a scenario where actors played the parts of two bullies and a victim. The program host and the parents of the teens observed their reactions via hidden cameras. Needless to say, a few of the parents felt extremely proud of their children for speaking up and confronting the bullies, while the majority of the parents watched their children remain silent, look away, or even laugh and encourage the bullies. It made for a great conversation with our children about what to do when you are bullied or you see someone else being bullied.
I was really, really tired. It was mid-day and I could feel the pressure mounting of everything that had to get done and all there was to cross off my to-do list…but I was really, really tired. I swear it felt as if my head was pulsing and my eyes just wanted to drift close.
I once received some feedback about this very issue. It seems that when I took one of the many typing indicators it determined that I was as calm in a high stress situation as in areas that were routine. This was good and bad. The good as you pointed out was that the team remained calm and did not get rattled and unable to perform, the bad is that no one really knew how bad the situation was and therefore did not have the chance to rise to the occasion and help out. I have not changed the nature in which I take stress, but I have found cues to help those around me appreciate the gravity of the situation. Just thought I would share this to enhance your thoughts.
Thanks Dwight – that is excellent food for thought and I know I will incorporate it for myself and my clients as we talk through stress, calmness, and reactions. Good for you that you took the feedback and found a way to work with it that worked for you (and those around you)!