Be A Self-Leader + Stop Interrupting
Why Self-Leadership is Essential For Your Success
It's too bad that we don't come with an operator's manual when we are born. If we did, it would be a lot easier to make better decisions, own our mistakes, be candid with ourselves and others, and show up as optimal versions of ourselves—essentially, to lead ourselves to success in our relationships and careers. The irony is?that we struggle to be our best while simultaneously hoping to lead others to become theirs. But our businesses and our personal lives depend on us being qualified self-leaders before anything else.?
What is a self-leader?
Being a self-leader implies owning and dissecting the stories you tell yourself. In today’s hyper-social world, it can be very easy to craft a version of ourselves that isn't true. We can do this to promote positivity, but if we are not truly positive people, acting on our positive belief systems, this conflict will eat away at us, and our businesses and relationships will suffer. The fix for this is self-awareness, which is essentially self-management. How we consciously choose to be heard or to give and receive feedback, is the first step toward excelling at self-leadership.?
Ways to Cultivate Self-Leadership
Check out my latest article on?Entrepreneur?for more.
Reflect Forward Podcast Spotlight: High Impact Leaders Creating High Impact Boards
Guest:?Bob Arciniaga believes in the power of creating high-impact boards. Bob is the Founder and Chief Board Architect of Advisory Board Architects, LLC. Founded in 2005, ABA builds, maintains, and manages “High Impact” advisory boards and boards of directors. ABA provides a proprietary methodology and process so organizations can maximize the impact of their boards. ABA works with private and publicly traded companies from $20M in revenues to $2B in fourteen different countries.
Episode in a Tweet:?Great board leaders not only have great ideas, but they also help CEOs learn, grow and become better executives.
Quick Background:?I met Bob Arciniaga through the YPO Colorado chapter several years ago and have always appreciated his perspective on executive leadership and how CEOS should develop its board of directors. During this episode, Bob and I discuss why CEOs should look at their boards as a strategic advantage and build a board with the right expertise to accelerate growth.
Bob also shares how his new company Boardology helps CEOs create high-impact boards by measuring engagement and alignment. Bob tells us about the three ways CEOs and boards miss the mark when building out their board and explains why all boards should have a thorough evaluation process to measure impact.
Listen on all major podcast platforms.?
Use Intuition to Make Better Decisions
We all know there are two parts to the mind, conscious and subconscious. The conscious mind is where we make rational decisions, and intuition is all about your subconscious. When you make intuitive decisions, you are relying on your subconscious experiences.
If you are like me, your gut shares just as much info with you as your rational mind does. These feelings show up as “I know this is the right decision in my heart.” Or “I have a pit in my stomach over this decision.”
During the show, I explain four ways to use intuition to make better decisions:
领英推荐
If you like this and want more detail, check it out on this?YouTube episode of Advice From a CEO.
Leadership Tip: Stop Interrupting Your Employees
Most of us like to talk; it’s our natural tendency.
So instead of listening, we formulate responses or rebuttals, and as soon as it’s our turn to talk, we jump in. Sometimes we even interrupt, especially when we disagree with what’s being said. ??
I think we can all agree that we dislike being interrupted. Be as leaders, we do it all the time. And when we do, it shuts people down.
When we interrupt, we don't make it safe for others to speak up.
When we interrupt, we tell people that our words are more important than theirs.
This is NOT how to lead. ??
So don't interrupt or interject. Instead, wait for the person to finish, thoughtfully think about what you want to say, then add to the conversation.
And if you do interrupt or interject, catch yourself, apologize, let the person finish speaking, and then reply thoughtfully.
Pro tip: keep the tongue in the bottom of your mouth. It’s tough to interject when you can’t move your tongue. Try it; I promise it works.
Read more on how to be a better listener?in my blog?here.
Want More?
Or email me at?[email protected]
Subscribe to?Reflect Forward on iTunes
Business Growth Strategist | Operating Systems Expert | Leadership & Scalability Consultant | Driving 25%-35% Revenue Growth | Small Business Success | Sales & Profit Acceleration | Proven Systems & Process Optimization
2 年Great publish Kerry!! I agree with your writing 100% and as a leader, I know we have all been there. It seems we all have an ego that wants to get attention. However, in my opinion, listening?increases our capacity as a leader. One will not only understand better, but also give more useful advice.
?? Head of IT ?? Project Director ?? Digital Activist ?? Unorthodox Problem Solver ?? Human-centered Leadership
2 年Active listening is key to maintain a good communication ??
CEO | Entrepreneur | Investor | Author | Business Turnaround Expert l Coach | Virtual Advisory Board |
2 年That’s a big lesson. I remember when someone told me that I didn’t need to be the smartest person in the room (because I wasn’t and they were being nice) Kerry Siggins
Marketing Executive
2 年I remember getting my "obnoxious" check in public. Humbling is an understatement.
NASA, CTO, Author, Coach, Ai
2 年thanks Kerry Siggins! Well done.