Swift Current: Leadership is Hard and This is Why - Inspiration from Epic Rivers
Epic Rivers Leadership
We provide high-stakes coaching and leadership development designed to accelerate 'life-giving leadership'.
Swift Current #2: 90 seconds of elegantly simple wisdom to help you navigate the whitewater of life and leadership.?
“It is not the critic who counts...The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; ...who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...”
Being a leader is thrilling when you are winning. I love those moments.?
Other times it is just really tough. Not so much fun. I've had a few more of those moments recently than I prefer to admit.?
Sometimes I feel the weight of two big suitcases on my shoulders. Maybe you can relate?
The first suitcase is filled with everything I think I need as a leader to drive performance and get business results. Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), goals, metrics, revenue goals, timelines, task lists, budgets, launching newsletters ( :-)) ...the list goes on. Drop these and my livelihood and others are at risk. Push too hard, and while I may hit my goals in the short term, I risk creating a "hard-driving team" that burns out with an unsustainable culture and pace.?
Equally important is the second suitcase filled with everything it takes for me to build a high-trust team where people feel valued. In this suitcase, I think about things like relationship building and making space for people to be human - having fun, connecting, and challenging one another. Leaving these out is a recipe for trouble. Focusing too much on them, without an equal focus on business results, will lead me to a "cozy team" where belonging is high, but business results may be questionable.?
Truth is my suitcase analogy reveals that one of the problems in these moments is feeling as though the two suitcases are on "my" shoulders instead of being carried collectively by the team.?
Our Team Effectiveness model helps teams discuss and manage this polarity. Great teams claim shared ownership for driving Performance and Psychological Safety. When both are achieved, it is life-giving to all involved.
Ready to Make Some Waves?
?? Ask your team where you are stronger: Driving performance or psychological safety and connection.?
?? Dig in deeper by having a conversation about where each individual is stronger (consider having people self-identify first) and what it would take for all of you to move one step closer to being that powerful life-giving blend of both!
In future editions, we will share more about 4 Big Actions you can take to move towards being a healthy, life-giving team and how we can partner with you in this work.?
I don't pretend to have it all figured out. Sometimes I feel like the kayaker who has wandered out of the flow and into the shallows, stuck on the rocks. Other times, it feels like my boat is upside down, and I am gasping for air and considering pulling out if I can't get upright soon. Then there are those moments where I can't believe I get paid to do what I do - helping great people like you!
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Wherever you are on this journey, let's paddle the whitewater, doldrums, and everything in between together.
"Clear direction, specific and measurable goals, and a structure for accountability drive team effectiveness and ensure teams know not only where they are going, but also what it will take to get there. Otherwise, like the title of David P. Campbell's book, 'If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You’ll Probably End Up Somewhere Else.'"
I (Chuck) moved to Greensboro, NC in 2013 to work for Joan and her team and be part of a massive culture transformation she was leading in a company of 10k plus employees. That experience shifted me deeply. It solidified for me the importance of who we are BEING and not just what we are DOING. These two aspects show up in our Team Effectiveness Model and are another way to think about these two suitcases. ?
It's a privilege to continue to work together and learn from Joan. She brings decades of experience as a C-suite leader in a $2b organization and deep expertise in coaching and leadership development.?
She is one of our go-to "River Guides" when we need a High-stakes Executive Coach for the C-suite or to facilitate our Team Effectiveness solutions.
We look forward to introducing you to more of the Epic team soon.
Until next time BE LIFE-GIVING!
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