Real Leadership Means Assessing What is True

“I think one of the greatest joys I have now in my career and in my profession is to be playing at an age where I can appreciate it more than I used to…It’s a whole different lens you look through the older you get.” ~ Andre Agassi

In all things, we each have a unique lens we look through to assess what is true and what is, perhaps, imagined. Our experiences and where we come from mold who we are and how we see things.

We wake up every day and see life through this unique lens that is our own.

Leadership and rose colored glasses

Throughout my life, the people who care about me (and tease me) the most often refer to my rose colored glasses. I ask that I please be buried in those imaginary glasses when my day comes because I do love them so. I take them with me everywhere I go.

Sometimes they serve me well; sometimes they take me on a detour of avoidance. But I have had to learn over time that if I don’t take the time every so often for a long and careful look in the mirror, I will not find the real truth.

I have had to make such assessments in my personal life and in the development of my business. Assessing what is true is a vital piece of leading with authenticity. It isn’t easy, and it isn’t for the faint of heart.

Sometimes the truth hurts. And being a good leader requires talking about the tough stuff, just as much as celebrating the good.

Getting a Check-Up

In my quest to discover the truth, I have come to discover that I am not naturally great at everything! Yes, I have much room for improvement, and I learn on a daily basis where I need to balance out my wheel.

Frankly, some days my ride is pretty bumpy, and I realize that without taking time to reassess how I’m  doing in my business, just as in my life, I can go long stretches of time being “stuck” and feeling depleted because I’m either working against my grain or simply not paying attention to the areas of my life that need a check-up.

As a leader, it’s necessary to allow yourself a check-up every once in a while. I’m not talking about performance reviews or feedback from the people to whom you directly report (if you have them); I’m talking about allowing yourself a good look at how your expectations and performance results are measuring up.

Generally speaking, I see my clients having great success in some areas, while barely holding on in others.

This cycle can be exhausting because even when you are achieving results and desiring to celebrate your accomplishments, other areas in your business may be bogging you down and sucking the joy out of the good stuff until you feel like a kid holding a popped balloon.

We go to the doctor for annual check-ups, we see the dentist regularly to get a fresh polish and make sure everything is going okay, and we set planning goals at work so we have a measuring stick by which to determine whether we are on track for results.

But how often do we assess, as leaders, how well we are doing in the key areas of our business development? I’m talking about an intensive look at how balanced we are in all areas of leading our team.

You can set goals and even produce powerful action plans to achieve them, but if the systems and processes of your organization, its infrastructure, are not in place, you will feel like you are rowing upstream without a paddle.

Being in that position is exhausting; when the business can’t do what it’s trying to do, it affects the bottom line and depletes your resources.

I can help build leadership in your team.

Order my book today or contact me at 425-241-4855 to schedule a workshop.