Perfect Leadership
Melissa Carson
Leadership Endurance Coach for founders, CEOs, and HR leaders who want to go the distance and know there is no finish line in sight | Fractional Chief Leadership Officer focused on creating sustainable top performance
What would this actually look like?
??No mistakes.
??No emotional reactions to stressful situations.
??Sufficient time allotted to coach every team member in their own unique way.
??Meeting all the metrics all the time.
??Seeing around every corner.
??No missed meetings.
??Active collaboration across all stakeholders.
??The right amount of communication with the right tone at the times when it's needed.
??Managing up, down, and across the organization effectively.
Are you exhausted just reading this list? I know I am.
And, I know that I cannot do it all of the time as much as I can try.
However, this list (or your variation of it) can serve as the intentions for each day.
Our opportunity is to show up daily focused on what matters and bring the best version of ourselves to the challenges we face.
What we should be focused on is intentional leadership.
My definition of intentional leadership requires
??learning from the past and knowing how we get in our own way;
?? leading through today's challenges, being present, and addressing challenges head-on;
?? planning for tomorrow, looking around the corners to figure out what roadblocks may pop up;
??? navigating the changing circumstances in a thoughtful way vs. knee-jerk reactions.
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We are imperfect people who will not be perfect leaders every day, but...
????♀? We can show up focused on being our best version each day.
????♀? We can take responsibility for poor decisions.
????♀? We can course-correct when needed.
????♀? We can be intentional in how we want to be perceived as leaders.
Teams don't need perfect leaders.
Teams need human leaders who do their best every day and try to be better tomorrow.
Teams need an intentional leader.
How can we shift to more intentional leadership?
Many of you who read this newsletter own your own business or are leading an organization. This level of responsibility adds additional pressure to do everything right. People depend on you to lead in a way that provides them financial and emotional security. This pressure sometimes leads to ways of leading that aren't in the long-term best interests of the team.
One of my CEO clients was challenged by wanting to be liked by her team, so much so that she was excusing a team member's communication approach that significantly impacted her well-being and team dynamics. Through our work together, she began recognizing that this approach wasn't sustainable or in the organization's best interest and shifted her leadership approach.
Like many of us, the desire to be liked is strong and may be part of our definition of a perfect (or even good) leader.
She has shifted her approach to be more intentional - setting the tone of how she expects the team to work together, identifying new team members who align with similar organizational values, and focusing on how she needs to show up to get the best from her team.
There is power in shifting from wanting to be the perfect leader to being the intentional leader.
If you're ready to shift from letting perfection get in the way of your leadership, take that first step by defining the leader you want to be and setting that as your intention.
#leadership #intentionalleadership #founders #womenledbusiness
????♀? I am Melissa Carson.
Coaching CEOs of women-led businesses to build, scale, and operate their teams better | Leadership and talent strategy advisor
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Scaled 3 of my own businesses to $1M+, now I’m helping other online entrepreneurs to do the same and sharing what works on social media...
8 个月Striving for perfection in leadership is admirable, yet often challenging. How do you plan to transition to a more intentional leadership style?
Strategic Advisor to Founders and the C-Suite | Unlocking sustainable growth through funding, strategy, and performance enhancement.
9 个月I'd like to put sections of your article to music and create a playlist for myself that I can play over and over. This is something I have struggled with for my entire career and am finally figuring out that the quest to perfect only clears the decks for more stuff that is not really meaningful or impactful. I recently read Oliver Burkeman's book, Four Thousand Weeks, which helps you realize the need to focus on what is really important - your post furthers that for me with the concept of "intentional leadership". Such a great nudge.
Brand Architect/Helping retail brands establish strong foundations and achieve growth/Experienced consultant and advisor
9 个月Is there really a "perfect" leader? I love how you discuss the need to be liked which impacts so many of us and how we lead. Intentional leadership is so much more realistic and alleviates that pressure of being perfect. Thanks for sharing.
I create elevated websites designed for greater impact ? Design|ers Matter
9 个月Striving for perfection can be so paralyzing - for me, it shows up by thinking only I can do X, Y or Z, or procrastinating on doing anything because "it's not quite right yet". I think allowing imperfection without judgement helps makes leaders more relatable and approaching to the people they are leading, which in turn helps foster a healthier dynamic.
?? Delegation Expert ?? Helping gifted leaders get back to the zone of true impact
9 个月Honestly, I would rather align with your description of an intentional leader than the perfect one any day! Like you said, it's exhausting and overwhelming to even imagine acting perfectly. Plus, there are always those decisions that are not so black and white when it comes to discerning the right thing to do. This is why I use my core values as a filter for decisions and actions. I can strive for perfect alignment with my values and still be a human who makes mistakes. Thanks for the encouragement!