How Leaders Can Inspire Brilliance

What ignites you to do your best work? While our most powerful tools are found within, businesses have the opportunity to create an inspiring environment. The expectations put upon our time and energy can be unrealistic and unfair. The revenue goals, investors, owners, PNL meetings, reports upon reports upon reports all seem to become more important than the people involved. How can you be your best when the essence of you is lost in the workload?

As we look within recognizing those moments, be mindful that your team experiences the same thing. How are you honoring each person's brilliance?

Change Your Space?

Shaking up the mundane can bring out the best in people. That's why offsite meetings and company retreats can be impactful. Don't wait until that once a year event or until a budget is approved. Try changing space every other week. This can be simple like switching up the seating to a circle or having people sit in pairs. Maybe ask a different team member to kick off each gathering. For virtual meetings, challenge everyone to find a new background every week.

If your location and health protocols are conducive, head to a local coffee shop or restaurant. Sharing a meal creates a sense of community and allows personalities to shine. Personally, good food brings me to life. Scoping menus and finding the best meal can teach you a lot about the people around you.

Try New Things

Have you asked your team what they're grateful for? Go around the room and listen to what is bringing them joy. Expressing gratitude increases positive energy in a space and adjusts mindsets. This can be done on any call, whether it's a team meeting, a one-on-one, or a quick catch up. Honoring someone's life and perspective means something.

Why not bring in writing prompts to start meetings? This can shift the dynamic to a more engaging and productive space. If meditation is in your comfort zone, bring this to the routine. Simple breathing exercises can be easier to implement for those not accustomed to the practice. The power of breath is something we often take for granted. In fact, the more we practice intentional breathing the more we see how limited our breath can be; especially in times of stress.

"Meditation is like defragmenting your hard drive - it leaves more room to operate & record new information without crashing your system."

Andrea Judith, Wheels of Life

Bring Mindfulness & Empathy

When we have a business goal in mind, it can distract us from our sense of humanity. There's been a lot of conditioning to leave emotions at the door, which is an impossible task. We are people, not machines. Each individual was hired because of their essence, not just their resume. Prioritize the person and who they are at their core.

Think about those moments when it seems like your plate is piling up and you respond to emails on autopilot (probably from your phone while you're attempting to do three other things). This can lead to short, curt messages that don't involve thoroughly reading what's been received, researching the history of an issue, or fully contemplating the situation. Did you ever think that this could received as disrespectful? Honor the people you work with by taking a beat. It's simple to reply quickly with "I want to acknowledge that I received your message. I'm not in a position currently to properly respond but will do so shortly." Now the person on the other side of the email feels seen and knows you have the intention to carefully respond.

Is your team empowered to say no? And when they do, is that respected or is there push back? This is an important boundary to keep in mind. When someone in a position of power says no, it can be received differently based on each individual's life experience. People of color have historically not been rewarded for pushing back. Trauma survivors (which can be anyone that's experienced abuse or oppression) can find this triggering depending on how it's handled. We've had trainings, read handbooks, attended seminars, and signed documents all relating to HR issues. But do we understand how to curate these to each person?

Create a safe space for setting clear boundaries. You may hear things like, "I respond best when my time is respected" or "Questioning my commitment to this project is uncalled for." With this knowledge, the environment becomes a place of healthy communication.

Prepare to Dig Deeper

Mentoring and training have always been passions of mine. Here are the questions I ask the most:

• Are you receiving everything you hoped to get out of this position/project/time?
• Is there anything you're interested in that we haven't discussed or that you'd like to be involved in?
• In what you're doing now, what are your favorite tasks or elements?
• What are your least favorite?
• If we were to remove the things you don't like, what could you do with that time? Do you have an idea of ways to restructure the current system?
• What is your learning style?
• At what time of day can you best tap into your brilliance?

Then after those questions, I find ways to implement change. It's not just lip service. Considering what ignites the fire within someone is imperative. We do our best work when we're excited, passionate, and believe in what we're doing.

How can you be a better leader that inspires and lifts others up in ways that serve them?