INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
Here’s a philosophy I try to follow in my life:
Leave the small fights to the small fighters.
Imagine how powerful it would be if you decided to pick the right battles. What if you stopped fighting to:
· achieve others’ definition of success
· fix everything that’s wrong with someone you care about
· prove your point to someone with an uninformed or one-sided opinion
· win those fights that equal empty victories in the end
· control the uncontrollables
What if, instead, you fought for:
· your vision of success
· what’s meaningful to you
· righting some wrongs in the world
· your legacy
· the life you want to live
Leave the small fights to the small fighters. Pick the contests that count.
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)
You have plenty of stressors to worry about at work. Few things are more stressful, though, than experiencing the Karasek Effect, which is when you’re working in conditions of high responsibility with little authority to make decisions.
Painful. Pressure-filled.
All too many employees in this situation simply choose to tough it out. But that’s a mistake. Instead, negotiate your level of authority. Be bold in doing so. Get clear on where your decision-making power starts and ends, and push the boundaries. Craft an agreement for autonomy with your boss where you spell out the scope of what you get to make the call on and how your boss will be kept up to speed and can input on what you decide.
The alternative is a pressure-cooker just waiting to blow.
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
It’s human nature not to look forward to, or to even avoid, receiving feedback or criticism. But viewing feedback as a gift, instead, is central to truly improving as a professional and a person. Here’s a tip for doing just that. Remember the Blindspot Equation, which says:
your worry of having blind spots > your worry of hearing about them
If you hold the possibility of having blind spots as more painful than hearing about them, it changes the nature of the feedback you receive. That feedback becomes enlightenment, and a tool for improvement, not a damning revelation of who and what you are. Believe this, and feedback becomes a gift. In turn, you’ll be gifted with greater success.
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