Choosing Conscious Change - Small Steps to Having a Leadership Mindset

Nobody’s perfect - not even me. (I know, shocker, right?) There have been times when I’ve had to look myself in the mirror and ask, ‘Michael - how can you do better?’

When it comes to leadership, you can always improve because, well…everything’s constantly changing. If you stay stuck in your old ways and don’t try to grow, you’ll never reach your full potential - and neither will your team. Constantly pivoting to honest improvements is how we've been recognized as Los Angeles Business Journal's Top 10 Best Places to Work. ??

You’ve got to know what you’re doing now and how you can improve for the future- that’s conscious change.

Here's how I've gotten started…

Conscious Change - What is it, and What’s the Point?

Conscious change is being aware of how you lead and want to, you know… change.

The great thing is that when you know your blind spots, you learn more about yourself.?

It’s all about how you think. How you think about others, how you think about leadership, but most importantly - how you think about yourself.

How Can You Improve? A.K.A Get Real with Yourself.

The reality is everyone has their weak spots (but that’s not a bad thing!). In fact, judging weaknesses as "bad" instead of identifying them as "bridges" to something better is where the problems really fester. Don't avoid honesty, especially with yourself.

Learning how to improve is hard - but it’s a great way to become a better leader.?

1. Ask other people what they think - they might know you more than you do. Asking for other people’s opinions takes courage. You don’t want to be bombarded with negative criticism. But most people are pretty nice - I swear. They’ll identify things you can’t see yourself.
2. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 for different areas of leadership. Write down all the skills essential to leadership - you can check out the traits you need here. Then rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. Be honest. It’s a great way to visually see the areas to boost.
3. How are you going to get better? If you’re aware of where you need to improve, then the scary part is over - but it doesn’t stop there. You need to implement practices that actually help. Set small goals and stick to them - you’ll see an improvement in no time.
4. Be nice to yourself. So you’re not 100% perfect in some areas of your work. So what? The point of this is how to make positive change - not how to give yourself a hard time. Take it easy, and don’t beat yourself up. Okay? Cool.?

What Are You Doing Right?

Sometimes we can be pretty hard on our leadership skills and not give the credit we deserve. But you gotta know where you’re smashing goals.?

Not only will it make you feel awesome - but you’re aware of what you need to keep doing.

1. Ask yourself, what am I doing well? Knowing what you’re already good at is crucial. If you’re not sure, try this…What do I like about myself? I know, corny, right? But it’s a great way to identify your top qualities. If you’re kind, you’ll be good at seeing your team as people - not just office minions. If you’re confident, you’re probably pretty great at being assertive.?
2. Make a list of what you’re good at. When you note down all your positive qualities in one place, it feels - you know - good. Keep the list nearby and pull it out whenever you need a confidence boost.
3. Praise yourself when you do something well. If someone on your team does a good job - you tell them. But when you’re in a leadership role, there won’t be as many people giving you a pat on the back…so give yourself one.?

Keep Those Changes Small.

It feels pretty daunting if you’ve got a huge list of what you want to change positively. You gotta keep those expectations small and realistic.

1. Pick 1-3 things you want to consciously change. I see so many people trying to overhaul everything at once. That’s overwhelming and exhausting. Choose your top 3, and don’t overload yourself (trust me on this one).
2. Don’t expect to get better overnight. Remember when I talked about rating yourself on a scale of 1-10? Yeah, don’t expect to go from a 1 to a 10 in a few days. Try and improve in small ways over time. Think - how can I do better today? Then work your way up from there.
3. Write your intention on a post-it note. Great, you know how you want to improve …but what’s the point if you never see it? You’ll probably forget what you want to change and slip back into old ways. Write it down and stick it somewhere you can see - like on your computer screen or a notebook.

To change a habit, make a conscious decision, then act out the new behavior. - Maxwell Moltz

Actually Do the Thing You Said You Were Gonna Do.

It’s amazing that you want to make changes - but it’s all a bit pointless in you never take action. That’s like setting goals and then never actually doing them (guilty).

1. Hold yourself accountable. Set a time scale, when do you want to achieve that change? Track your progress by rating yourself out of 10 every 3 months. Are you getting better? You’re responsible for your own change - so take charge.
2. Be brave. Wanting to be a better human takes a lot of guts. Most people never do it. But when you improve in one area of your life, it’s like a domino effect. It won’t just stay in the workplace - it’ll start positively impacting everything else. So, you know…it’s worth it.
3. Don’t give up. Let’s be real here - everyone wants to give up at times. I’ve done it, and I bet you have too. But the important thing is to get up and try again. You won’t hit it out of the park the first time around. Practice makes progress. So keep going…you’ll get there.

In short,?

Making those conscious changes to become an even better leader is all about mindset -? it needs courage and patience. Learn about yourself. Figure out how to get better and take it one step at a time. You’ll thank me later.?

Just saying.

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