INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
Raise your hand if you’re NOT going through dynamic times at work? I’m guessing I’d see very few hands in the air if we were in person. So, what’s the key to leading in dynamic times?
Be an amplifier.
Meaning, don’t just passively prescribe goals and assume the team will bring them to fruition. Get actively involved to amplify the effort and communication it takes to achieve those goals. More specifically, research shows effective amplifiers do six things:
1. You make things clearer and more powerful for your organization. Literally like an amplifier.
2. You make what needs to be heard, heard. You do so by investing the time it takes to overcommunicate.
3. You help bring the micro to the macro. As opposed to just deploying the big picture and washing your hands of it.
4. You increase understanding by sharing perspective and framing. For example, sometimes you amplify someone else’s signal, sometimes you’re the source of the signal.
5. You amplify people’s capabilities through coaching. That is, by making an investment in your people.
6. You amplify your organization’s vision and key strategies. And you connect it to people’s day-to-day work.
It’s about rolling up your sleeves to assist success vs. avoid failure – that’s how amplifiers spend their time. You constantly ask yourself, “What else can I do as a leader to proactively assist success?” (vs. just intervening to avoid failure)
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)
I recently wrote about the power of just getting started, and got such a positive response, I’m adding to it here today. Oftentimes, we make the mistake of not trying something for the first time because we’re afraid of what might happen if we do. So, consider this.
Quite commonly, what we really fear is the fear – not the action itself. It’s that anticipation leading up to the thing that we’re afraid of that kills us. In truth, you only need about 20 seconds of courage at a time – the time it takes to plow through the starting point of what you’re afraid of doing. In fact, research shows that our heart rate decreases after actually starting the thing we’re afraid of doing.
Hypnotherapist Tellman Knudson believes we don’t actually have a fear of failure per se, we have a fear of failing the first time we try something. It’s a deeply ingrained fear we learned from our early school days. As Tellman says:
“Getting the ‘right’ answer the first time is the only thing that is rewarded in most schools. Getting the wrong answer is punished in a variety of ways: low grades, scolding and contempt from teachers and peers.” This deeply embedded fear can ultimately keep us from ever trying to accomplish anything.”
The standard of expecting to get it right the first time is, of course, an unreasonable one (unless you throw knives at magician’s assistants for a living). Almost everyone requires practice and a few failed attempts to get it right. In fact, Thomas Watson Sr. of IBM said, “If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.” And yet we hold ourselves to a standard of “first time’s the charm” because we’ve subconsciously come to fear the alternative. Knudson says the solution is to retrain your brain to get out of its comfort zone and try new things. Take a surfing, painting, or archery class – whatever. Get used to failing (and you will if you’ve never tried it before), and viewing it as a process. And remember, it’s okay to suck for a while.
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
I was recently reintroduced to an exercise created by Stanford University meant to help you determine which path in life to take. I used to share it with new hires at big companies, but I think it can be of service to you, as well. It’s called the Odyssey Plan, and here’s how it works:
Imagine three different futures for yourself that would play out over the next five years.
Future #1: Map out what your life looks like if you stay on the current path. The same job, the same direction, etc.
Future #2: Map out a life that’s completely different. You change your career. You drop a toxic relationship. You move to a new city.
Future #3: Imagine a future where money and people’s opinions don’t matter. What would that look like? Don’t worry about expectations or what’s realistic.
Now, compare your answers and take inspiration from all three possible futures to design a path that’s meaningful to you. It’s about breaking out of autopilot, where most of us remain. It’s about working on your life, not just in your life. It’s about taking time for introspection. It’s about breaking out of the trap that your current path is the only path.
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