HIDE OR SEEK

As a business owner there is never a lack of challenges or problems. It's how you respond to those challenges that really matter and ultimately reveal your true character. I'm working hard to be a leader that refuses to hide and consistently seeks for wisdom and growth. It's really easy to hide, there are so many ways to hide from challenges and problems. Seeking is harder, it takes courage, transparency and taking full responsibility for your actions or inaction. It takes being vulnerable which is scary and uncomfortable. Here are some things that I am learning on this leadership journey. Hope this helps someone out there. 

1. Address issues quickly-When a problem seems small or insignificant it might appear that way in the moment but if left unaddressed it could become a much bigger problem. Learn to be quick to address problems that you see. As leaders we all have "radar" for things...when something isn't right we normally "sense" it. Listen to that voice...it is usually wisdom. 

2. Seek advice often-I am realizing that I don't do this enough and it is something i'm working on. I have to learn how to filter out advice that isn't relevant. I feel this pressure to implement every piece of advice and it can be overwhelming so I tend to avoid seeking advice. But not seeking advice is detrimental to your business and your life. As a leader having people around you who care about you and are willing to give you advice is crucial.

3. Listen- that's all, just listen. Listening is a learned skill and there is always room for improvement. Leaders who don't listen...don't learn...leaders who don't learn end up on an island and nothing good happens when you are isolated. 

4. Face reality- This may seem obvious but this is where leaders get into trouble. There are harsh realities that exist in business and many of them revolve around money, personnel or clients. Ignoring or hiding from problems around these three things will spell disaster. A problem with a client left unaddressed can wreak havoc on the morale of a team let alone the financial problems it can create. An unaddressed problem with a staff member can lead to friction with other team members and one unhappy employee can destroy a strong culture. Hiding from these things is easy, seeking answers and confronting these things is much harder but is required as a leader.

5. Get alone and SEEK- Leaders are busy...there is always something to work on, and we naturally want to be around other people. Busyness can be a form of "hiding"...if you stay busy enough you don't have to face the tough issues. We recently shut our office down for a company "Growth Day". The entire staff had to work on some form of personal or professional development. It impacted me more than I had thought. I went away for a day and night to think, reflect and write. I also forced myself to think through some personal things going on. My dad was recently diagnosed with liver cancer. When he told me I went into "business mode", I wanted to make sure that my mom would be ok and that he took care of the things that needed to be done. I checked my emotions at the door. I realized I needed to allow the reality of that to sink in so I could properly care for my dad. I needed to be alone to process that. As leaders we need alone time- being alone is different than being isolated. Take the time you need to really face things going on in your life and business. You'll be a much more effective leader. 

Hiding might allow you to escape the perceived or real "pain" but those challenges and problems don't go away. I encourage leaders everywhere to face those things head on, you'll sleep better at night and be a much more connected leader, parent, and human.