Welcome to episode 48! Hi savvy leader! How are you?!
Are you leading your team the way you lead yourself? The short answer is always yes. You are. You lead others the way you lead yourself.
Today we’re going to check in to see if this is something you’re intentional about and if you’ve made the connection between how you lead yourself and how you lead others.
You can find the full transcript of this episode at crazybigdreams.biz/48.
Ok, so I’m going to ask you to think of your most recent personal example (I’ll give you the specifics next) and then I’m going to give you the strategies to lead yourself through so you can lead your team in the same way. With me? Stay with me. Because how you lead yourself is how you lead others.
I want you to think of the most recent example for yourself when you didn’t want to show up and do the work. Maybe you were feeling burnt out.
Maybe there was something exciting or something really trying happening in your family, or for you, personally, and you just didn’t want to do the work. You didn’t want to show up for yourself or your team. It’s ok. You can admit it. It’s not a rare thing. It’s common.
Think of this most recent example for yourself. Got it? Ok good. I’ll give you one that happens almost daily for me right now. I have a new baby. And he is delightful. He’s so happy, and so much fun and I want to spend every waking minute with him. I miss him when I’m away from him and he just adds so much joy to our family.
Well, there’s still work to do. And don’t get me wrong. My work is incredibly rewarding. In fact, I don’t see it as work. It gives me great joy. It’s an honor to work with the women that I get to work with. But when it comes right down to it, sometimes I just want to play with that cute baby.
What’s a leader to do?!
Strategy Number One: Acknowledge Your Reality. Don’t fight it or ignore it or brush over it. I truly own it, every day, I say “Mama really wants to squeeze you, but for now I’m going to spend some time working in my office.’
And he’s in good hands. We have wonderful caretakers that allow me to get my “me time”, which is getting to work on my business. I don’t struggle or try to ignore it or rush to get my work done. I can be fully present when working and fully present when I’m with him because I have time dedicated to both.
So I’m asking you. Are you fighting it? Are you ‘shoulding’ yourself? Telling yourself you should be more motivated? You should WANT to do the work. Are you resisting it because you would rather be doing something else? Or anything else if you’re experiencing burnout. Right?
Own your reality, friend. Acknowledge it. Name it. Say it out loud. Make it real. Because it is. The longer you fight it and resist, the more tension builds, and the longer you stay stuck.
Strategy Number Two: Ask yourself “What do you need?” If it’s a need you can meet yourself, great. Give yourself the time and space and permission to address it.
If not, who can help you meet this need? Your mentor? Your partner or spouse? Your team?
In my situation, I needed both outside help and my own strategy to do what needed to be done. First, I needed reliable care for my little one to know he was in good hands so I could be at peace and fully present with my work.
I also needed to end each period of time working with getting my priority lists made. I did this so I knew exactly what I was going to focus on each time I got back to my desk. It made the transitions easier for me.
I get more done during my dedicated work time and I can leave the list on paper and out of my head so when I get back to baby, I’m fully present. There’s time and space for both.
How you lead others will be the same!
First, acknowledge her reality. You can do this by using a direct statement. Depending on her situation, it may sound something like this. “You’re burnt out. You don’t want to do the work. You’re tired of the noes. You’re disappointed in the rate of your success.” You get the idea.
Name it for her. Whatever it is. It will be incredibly validating for her. She will feel heard and understood. It will help her move forward. Whether she needs you to help her move forward, someone else, or she can navigate the way forward all on her own. Sometimes this validation is all she needs. And coming from you, it’s powerful.
So strategy number two is simply asking “What do you need? How can I help?” This goes a long way after the first strategy “Acknowledge her reality.”
How you lead yourself is how you lead others. What do you think?
I’ll see you over on Instagram @yourcrazybigdreams to hear you weigh in on the way you lead. What’s your takeaway?
The best is yet to come. Always.
