Too Weak Notice

Nope, it's not a typo. It is however, a thought to consider.

Have you ever inadvertently lost or disenchanted one or perhaps many, that you were called to lead? Have you yourself, ever lost trust, respect, or faith in someone that was responsible for leading you? Odds are, the answer to both, for most, is a resounding yes. This is a topic of frequent conversation, but often produces lackluster results or short-lived change. I am pleased to announce that in most cases, it can be prevented.

Traits of a great leader are often debated as to what qualities truly matter. Often times, this stems from our own unique experiences growing up in our family of origin, or that first real business mentor that we had, or maybe even experience in the military. I am not here to debate what those traits should be according the my leadership gospel, I do however want to provide some insight that everyone could use, regardless of title or position. These insights are intended to help prevent losing our influence, our ability to be trusted, our overall ability to lead, and giving our "Too Weak Notice".

I have heard people say recently, "what will history say about this...?". This may be a great time for us to serve ourselves and take advantage of the disruption of the past 12 months. I chose the word disruption on purpose, but disruption is typically thought of as an inconvenience to ones day or life. This is chance for us to ask ourselves some real questions. Questions that would encourage growth, spark deeper thought, and enable us to be more of who need to be on the other side of this pandemic. For many people, this pandemic has completely altered their outlook on life. While for others, it has merely added some slight degree of fear or confusion. This is a great time to pause, reflect, evaluate, and act.

Pause. Take time to remove yourself from the noise and the chaos of the day. Find a place where you can truly protect yourself from distraction and focus. This may be a good behavior to start and you might consider the need to determine a frequency or schedule for you, for the purpose of the practicing the following steps.

Reflect. This is for looking back on what was, what happened, and over what time-frame. We often look in the mirror and in an honest assessment, we may not be thrilled with what we see. I am not speaking of the superficial person in the reflection. I am referring to the spirit or soul of our reflection. Not to get too deep here, but are we fired up about what we have accomplished? Remember, reflection is only to look back over that period of time, since your previous look-back. Think of it as your glance into the rearview mirror on your extended journey.

Evaluate. This step is to only evaluate and assess the things that we might have done differently, if at all. Of the decisions that we made, or the time we spent performing a task, or the mini-vacation with family, what truly mattered? What truly made a difference? What sort of performance evaluation would my wife and kids give me? What sort of performance evaluation would those who I lead give me? Where were there opportunities to do more or perhaps, anything meaningful at all? What about the things that we invested time in, that had little to no return? Wrap up the evaluation step with these questions; "what would I do differently and why would it matter?"

Act. This is our chance to apply the changes that we see as necessary. This is an opportunity to adjust our day to day routines. To apply our own individualized performance improvement. To not only show, but to live out and model these adjustments to those in our lives that are in one way or the other affected by our influence. Will that influence be positive, nurturing, life-giving, and lasting, or will the opposite be the case? Growing is change and "We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change." ~ Dr. Henry Cloud

Consider the consequences because the stakes are far too high to cruise through life on autopilot. Take control to best influence your influence and prevent your involuntary "Too Weak Notice".

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/too-weak-notice-chris-r-thorpe-cdp

Chris R. Thorpe / Feb. 28, 2021