Last Week's Leadership Lessons - March 27, 2023

Lessons From The Week of March 20, 2023

This Week:?Procrastination / Confident Introversion / Thought Leadership

Reader Beware: If you were here last time, you know the drill. Please feel free to jump right on ahead to the list of stories. If not, read from here on to understand what I'm trying to capture in this series.

Talking about leadership can be boring as hell!

We're always seeing and hearing the same old definitions, constructs, and formal tips related to and regurgitated about the leadership field, every so often punctuated by a perpetually rotating door of the latest industry buzzwords.

Even with all its great energy and intention, the themes and hopes of the leadership discipline, admittedly, can become a little monotonous -- without great stories and living examples to wake them up.

(Granted, I post about them as well. Guilty. So I guess maybe I mean "overkill." The?overkill?of your run-of-the-mill leadership ideas is what I'm trying to supplement -- and maybe unlock -- here through more unique takes and lenses.)

Hence why I launched this series.

In this series, I want to capture themes and ideas for leadership -- while being particularly cautious that they not be necessarily conveyed as leadership lessons in the articles or sources I cite. I want to find examples that demonstrate more lessons about HUMANITY than the usual script of clichéd leadership building blocks.

The way the world is going, I think it's essential to think about and take in more lessons on humanity in general than leadership specifically. And it's not like I'm forsaking one for the other; the former should inform and be the foundation for the latter. (That's just me. That's just my take.)

And to be clear, these valuable lessons, as I express them, aren't carved in stone. My translations aren't absolute. They can't be. It's not that simple. I think that's what gets us in trouble when it comes to learning (or not) about society and each other: Most issues are typically seen as black and white, left and right, up and down, one side or the other. But again, it's not that simple. Not everything can be. We force it to be that way. In most instances -- not all, but in most -- there is room for interpretation and different ideas and views to be exchanged somewhere on the middle ground. More nuance exists than we typically see -- or will admit.

And in that nuance there's beauty. Because in that nuance we can learn from each other. And because of that nuance, each of my interpretations is just one option for consideration in that middle ground of learning.

All that being said, below are three stories I came across last week that have valuable lessons for leadership, purpose, and expression. In reading these articles, you may find the lessons for leadership may not immediately stand out or reveal themselves -- and that's because lessons can range from the loud, obvious, and obnoxious to the subtle, unassuming, and hidden.

And although the source materials are not all leadership-related per se, they can all apply to leadership -- in terms of how you present yourself, navigate through life and work, and move, impact, inspire, and appreciate others.

Even if you feel you've already crafted your leadership to where you want it to be and the results clearly show it -- where others can get behind them and vouch for you -- it never hurts to continue learning from your fellow human beings, whether you know them or not.

Gestures, speeches, action, inaction, decisions, announcements, etc. They all tie in.

So bear with me. Some of them might seem like a stretch. But have some faith that I may be crazy -- but not?too?crazy.

This practice is merely effort to learn about ourselves, where we can improve, and how we can evolve.

Lessons are everywhere.

1. Don't Put Off Reading This!

We are our own worst enemies -- in every sense and way possible. We hold -- and live in -- so many insecurities about what the outside world might do to us and how it might be plotting our ultimate demise. That it might come after us unprovoked or react to us with disgust or laughter at anything we might produce. And it never happens. The impact of actual result doesn't even register on the scale of concern we were building up in our head. What we believe and do (or don't) doesn't serve us when we have that self-doubt. Or when we hold back.

Leadership Lesson: In your leadership development, how might procrastination stop you? What might be the source of that hesitation or obstacle standing in the way of you finding your way forward? Posting this article doesn't mean I condone this specific method of blasting through your procrastination; it's just another avenue to provoke curiosity within you to learn why you put things off. If you're like me, after you've procrastinated long enough and finally decided to "do the thing," you realize it's not as bad as you thought. It's NEVER as bad as you thought it was going to be.

Hesitating and taking too long might keep you from developing and leading yourself and others. You're sacrificing time, progress, collaborations, and putting off goal attainment, unsuccessful attempts, and value creation -- all learning moments.

Find the article?here .

2. Confident Introversion

Introversion isn't about confidence. It's about energy. There are plenty of introverts that have confidence. (e.g. Yours Truly. I'm still a work in progress, but I love speaking in front of large audiences, all the while looking forward to crawling under the podium afterward to take a nap from my zapped energy.) So, although I get where this article is coming from, it's important to understand that introversion has nothing to do with lack of confidence and that introverts look so different from one to the next.

Leadership Lesson:?All that being said, if you aspire to develop your leadership, how do you go about reaching beyond the energy level typically allotted by your introversion? Does your introversion hold you back? I tend to believe -- and yes, I'm biased -- introverts can bring so many powers to the table -- of observation, patience, and honesty, to name few. No, really . Again, introverts are all so different, so another introvert's powers may be different from the ones I believe I can draw from my own.

Do you believe your introversion means you can't be a leader? Don't stop yourself from sharing your greatness. Talk about it with someone if you're not sure. Reach out to me at [email protected] to talk, if need be.

Find the article?here .

3. What Do YOU Think?

Clients, no matter their age, most often tend to have some apprehension about how much they should say. That's not a bad thing. It's always better to err on the side of caution -- unless you have something great to share. And whatever that may be for you is for you to decide, to vet and do your due diligence on. It's not even that most people are procrastinating (like #1 on this list); they just don't feel they have a place to contribute anything. How wrong they are. Everyone has a unique voice. Everyone has something great to share. Yes, we all have to refine it, shape and fashion it in such a way to draw the attention to it we believe it deserves. But again, so many people stop themselves from sharing who they are and what they can offer.

Leadership Lesson: What is your unique voice as a leader? Even if someone else has a similar idea, the way in which you share it -- the tone, the voice, the sense of urgency -- can contribute to it becoming a powerful statement and position. No, we all can't be researchers on the front line, coining new phrases or making new behavioral science discoveries, but each of us has something unique to share, developed through our own lens of experience. What do you imagine you can bring to the table in terms of thought leadership? Even if it's not a new form of thought, or concept, or theory you're bringing to the world, and merely a new voice of reason, mindset, or motivation to your workplace environment, what are you bringing to the table that's unique and which you believe people need to hear?

Find the article?here .

Honorable Mention

Know Your Transferable Skills

Leadership Lesson:?Regardless of whether it's one of the high-earning jobs referenced in this article or not, how have you taken stock of the skills you have that are transferable across jobs, divisions, and companies? Even if you don't plan on leaving or moving on from your position, how are you preparing, becoming well-aware of what it is you can bring to any environment, before getting to the specifics of that next environment's work? It's incredible how much people aren't aware of the skills they already have, how what they've already done in one phase of their life or career, or in specific industry, can apply to other jobs. Because of that self-ignorance (and self-deception), they undercut themselves -- again. Learn yourself. Learn what it is you can take with you anywhere you go!

Find the article?here .

Honorable Mention

The Dangers of Intuition

Leadership Lesson:?How do you balance between using your gut and utilizing the hard data in front of you? How have you split your decisions between those two in the past? How and when has each served you best? How and when have they not? Do you stop to reassess the results of your past decisions, debriefing with yourself to determine how you can adjust your thinking (and feeling) when it comes to the decisions of your work that impact your teammates and organization?

Find the article?here .

That's it! That's the list for this week.

What other examples of leadership lessons – maybe even those that aren’t so apparent and obvious – do you come across in your everyday life and work?

What have you read lately that offers some insight on being human and navigating life -- and yes, by default, leadership.

Reach out and let me know what you think of these. Please share your own if you've found articles or stories with great lessons or insights that can contribute to how we carry ourselves through our lives and work.

Previous Posts

March 20, 2023 - Trust / Multitasking / Untrustworthy

March 13, 2023 ?- Listen Up! / Anxiety Is Old News / Manhood Stuff

March 6, 2023 ?- Slow Down! / Hope & Happiness / Primitive Empathy

February 27, 2023 ?- Fear of Public Speaking / Being Interrupted / Sensitivity

February 20, 2023 ?- Communication / Doing Just Enough / Self-Compassion

February 13, 2023 ?- Self-Belief / Leadership Branding / Inner Child

February 6, 2023 ?- Happiness / Facades / Wisdom

January 30, 2023 ?- Legacy / Emotional Intelligence / Stupidity

January 23, 2023 ?- Vulnerability / Creativity / Respect