9 Reflections On My Leadership

For many years I've been a big fan of Conan O'Brien's 2011 commencement address at Dartmouth, which happened to come during his very public period of unemployment. In it he re-shares, among many funny excerpts, his simple yet impactful advice of "work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen." This quote has meant much to me in how I carry myself and approach work, and at this moment the circumstances of his speech happen to resonate for me more than ever.?

As I navigate my current status this summer of , I have more time and space to simply…think. About what I’ve accomplished in my 17+ year career, my passions, and of course what I want to do next (there is something magical about being able to mow your lawn at 10:30 AM on a Tuesday, and the mindspace this opens up). Another area I’ve been pondering sits within my own leadership and the many things I’ve learned or picked up along the way.

One of my favorite parts of any job I’ve had is mentoring, being able to coach, teach, and support through one’s own leadership journey. But that being said, I haven’t ever really put on ‘paper’ a compilation of reflections that have guided me in my own; those meaningful components of my experience thus far that have steered my crafting of a unique and authentic-to-me leadership style. The time now feels right.

One’s leadership, and ultimately the personal brand they stand on and how they showcase this outwardly is something that is built up over many years with pieces collected throughout. For me, it’s been influenced by a range of different companies, industries, bosses (and many incredible leaders!), peers, partners, cultures, leadership development courses, and professional situational learning. But, also by my upbringing, my parents, family, friends, and world around me as I came into my own as an adult, working professional, husband and parent. All of this is combined with parts that are just me, and simply how I am, to land on my own said leadership values and approach.

OK, getting back to the leadership reflections piece…I have 9 that mean the most to *me* and guide how I lead my career. To clarify, this is not intended to be a “this is what you should do” piece. I am sharing in the hopes that this might resonate and mean something to someone else.?

Jeff's 9 Leadership Reflections:

• Care about the humans first: Happier people will produce better results and bring better selves to work. Be authentic with care when doing this with your teams - avoid this feeling forced. Give it time, just like you would a friendship. Listen. In the words of Conan, “Be Kind.”

• Embrace being an approachable senior leader: This allowed people to bring more of their true selves around me. For me, trying to be more “tough” or hardened just felt like I was being someone else. Treat lower levels of an organization with the same respect you would for a VP or senior executive. Show up as that same leader and person to the specialist with no VP watching as you would for said VP.?

• Ask the dumb questions: This one took me years to be OK with, and learned largely from watching other great leaders. I always was judging myself or figured others were, but sometimes the simplest questions are the ones that create the most engagement, help you (and others) understand and lead to better productivity.?

• Laugh and be silly: Make serious work light. Not to the point of it being annoying or a gimmick, but as a secret weapon and skill to bring out when it’s needed, to help set the tone. It’s OK to smile and create bonus happiness on the job.

• Keep perspective: There is more to life than the job/work in front of you, which is part of life. Some might take this the wrong way that I’m not committed or willing to grind (not true at all); what I’m trying to convey is that everyone has “stuff” beyond this work project or task at hand, or this memo, email reply or presentation. I simply will not allow myself (or my team) to fall into a panic situation. More times than not, a 'marketing emergency' isn't reality.

• Know when to go hard (and use more energy): In other words, I can come in hot and lead with red and be hard-driving when absolutely needed, but for me this should be rare and the exception in the right situations, as it takes a lot more of my energy and is outside of my normal approach. It should be much more-so about being effective versus just coming in hot to come in hot.

• Say yes to hard things and remain agile: Raise your hand for work others might shy away from. That project that shifts your focus for the better part of a year, the big hairy stretch ask that will help the larger team but perhaps isn't super sexy, or the new role that has no blueprint. Say yes and buckle up for the ride of opportunity, and remain agile and open to change when it presents itself. Don’t overthink it.?

• Be intentional; avoid being random as a leader: Think about how you want to be in the next meeting, on that project, with this audience, in that 1:1. Plan it out. Try not to be random or just show up and let it fly.. Plan your outward leadership.?

• Talk to yourself: I have done this forever, where I will have entire conversations out loud in private with…myself. I talk through problems and work through solutions. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea or maybe I’m an outlier here, but me gut-checking with, well, me…has gotten me through a lot.

As mentioned above, I hope something in here can be helpful for someone else.