How a man on a plane brought me to tears.

Last week, on a flight home from a client site, I was squeezed in the middle seat between two men. I noticed one to my left, by the window, reading a self-help book; Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow a Better Today by Hal Hershfield.

I grew curious.

Gently tapping him on his arm, I asked what provoked him to read that specific book.?He explained the author was a keynote for UCLA at a conference he was just attending.

We struck up a conversation about the book's message, which was all about finding freedom in connecting with your future self and understanding your WHY in life.

Once again curious, not nosy, I promise, I asked him if he knew his Why.

He immediately went quiet, then said, "It's going to sound selfish, even cruel, but it's not meant that way."

Okay, you have my attention.

He explained that his WHY is to stay healthy and strong; not only physically, but mentally and emotionally, in order to outlive his wife.

Say what?

He went on to say that he couldn't bear to imagine her feeling the pain of losing him and then having to live alone without him.

I'm thinking both of them are in their mid-seventies, and he looked damn good for all of his hard work and devotion.

It brought me to tears.

How unbelievably beautiful is that. More importantly, what a profound WHY!!!

As we continued our conversation, it moved into how knowing your Why and finding freedom is also critical at work, not just in life.

He stressed the absolute need for leaders to dig deep into understanding their own why and what freedom looks like for them, and then helping their team members to identify their own.

It makes for an enriched, excited, and committed team of people who are fully grounded in what and why they are doing what they are doing, and what it's going to take to get there.

Creating a work environment where team members feel free, empowered and fulfilled isn't just an aspiration, it's a responsibility. And, while helping to enrich them, you enrich your own career and life along the way.

Unlock this freedom by implementing the following principles:

1. Promote Work-Life Integration ?? ♀? - Encourage your team to establish a healthy blend between their personal and professional lives. This will lead to healthier, happier, and more productive employees.

2. Cultivate Vulnerability and Authenticity ?? - Lead by example and show vulnerability. This honest approach humanizes leadership, fosters trust and creates a more authentic, genuine, and dedicated team dynamic.

3. Combat Imposter Syndrome ?? - We all question our worth and contribution at times. So do your employees. Validate your team's work and contributions regularly. Foster a supportive environment where mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, not failures, and their efforts are recognized and appreciated.

4. Encourage Ownership ?? - Delegate strategically, aligning team members' tasks with their strengths. Empower them to take ownership of their work, boosting confidence and productivity. This also requires you and others to take accountability for those responsibilities and owning up when things go astray.

5. Foster Open Communication ??? - Build a culture of transparency and open dialogue. Encourage team members to partake in decision-making processes, express their ideas, and voice concerns, even rumble productively to solve problems and create new solutions.

6. Help Your Team and You to Discover Your Why ? - Brainstorm together openly and freely to share the why and what you and others are working so hard to create in life and work. Dig deep into the emotional purpose, like the gentleman on the plan, not just the tangible or temporary.

7. I needed to add this at the last moment ?? - Lead by example on all of the above. Your people are simply mirroring your behavior, so if you don't like what they're producing or how they are performing, you need to first question if you modeled that behavior. Lead the way you want them to lead themselves.

Remember, the road to freedom begins with understanding and addressing each team member's various skills, talents, challenges and opportunities, while identifying your purpose and why for leading them.

Empower them individually to empower your team as a whole. ??????

To dive deeper into this topic, check out our latest episode of Shedding the Corporate Bitch Episode #342?- How to Find Freedom for You and Your Team.???

Ready to foster?Freedom in Your Team? Schedule a call with me at https://coachmebernadette.com/discoverycall, and let's talk about it and get you tips and strategies you can act on today.

Have a powerhouse week.