??3 Tips on uplifting your career

My old boss once told me that I'm too nice and naive. I was over-reliant on this empathetic, caring Elliot. I hid behind a protective shield — forgetting about myself and my needs.

December is a month of reflection and looking back. Five years ago, I was scared and stressed. I got the news that my mom's cancer was coming back. I went on my typical fight-or-flight catastrophic thinking. I was worried that I would lose my mother. I cancelled trips and put my life on hold, waiting for the following bad phone calls. I froze. I kept all my opportunities frozen, including rejecting a new job offer.

To lead well, you must embrace your need for continual improvement. – John C. Maxwell

What I lacked was a lion's courage.

Christmas of 2018, my coach and her husband had an intervention lunch with me. They were persuasive and said it would be a missed opportunity for the world if I didn't get some professional coaching training. My coaching teacher, Deborah Colman, called me out on my lack of courage!

When I lack courage and fear, who can I call forth to bring authentic brilliance in me? I decided to develop the leader within me!

My passion is deep listening and growing people. And the growth zone is usually right next to the discomfort zone. What are the close neighbours of empathy? Being laser-focused, straight talk, and decisive.

I'm sharing with you my journey in search of my lion.

Version 1) A Pride of Lion??:

In 2019, Version 1, see diagram above, was a grooming lion that cared for me and a roaring lion in need. So, my lion gave me the courage to change jobs multiple times, from advanced analytics to strategist to customer lifecycle management and product management.

It felt like a theoretical exercise, but this lion helped me find courage. In 2021, I dropped my life in Toronto and moved to Vancouver for three months for my mother's cancer treatments, see articles. I still care a lot about my mom, but I cannot put my life on hold for her.

Version 2) An empathic yet decisive Lion ??:

Earlier this year, I was about to change my life significantly. I spoke with many mentors. Jeff, in particular, really challenged my thinking. "Elliot, if the company is giving you the opportunity, why don't you go ALL IN for a year and then evaluate?"

What if I say YES to the opportunity coming my way? What if I lead my life like what Deborah, my teacher, taught me: ???

I didn't expect saying yes to level me up! Here's a real example:

I said YES to present to the executive leadership teams in the fall. I haven't met most attendees and discovered that I would be on a work trip, so I won't be on home turf. I activated my ?? and decided to go for a morning workout. I also learned that the meetings would be bilingual in English and French. I had my doubts and fears. What would the lion do? I told myself that I must be decisive. However, I struggled because I wanted to lean into my empathic, great-listener self.

My empathy superpower taught me that most executives have never heard of my work, so I designed it as a TED talk. This ?? shines when I listen intently to words and body language, so I asked the EA to help me connect the presentation to a 75" TV to see everyone's facial expression.

My boss gave me a ?? prep talk before the meeting. He said, bring the prize home. So I leaned into my new lion, being decisive and laser-focused on what I wanted and gained approval.

My lion levelled me up!

Version 3: The evolving lion brings people along.

As I stepped into executive leadership this year, I have taken on some of my most challenging and innovative projects. I see myself as a lion who clears the way for others, like making a trail in a cornfield. The secret is to create systems that foster human connections and collaboration. This way, I can achieve results and develop more leaders for the future. My lion fits well with the pinnacle stage of the 5 Levels of Leadership: earning, respecting, and leaving a lasting impact on the world.

What might everyone benefit if I lead more like this? That's how I made an impact with the duality of life — I can be ruthlessly decisive yet empathetic. It's possible to balance these two qualities in leadership without losing the trust and respect of my team.

The more I lean into my fear, the more I lean into my frustration; I learned how to grow and expand into the new me.

Believe!

I look forward to seeing you next week.

Elliot

Follow me on LinkedIn.