Toughen Up As A Leader

How To Toughen Up as A Leader

Leading is hard. Despite the success and sometimes the glory?leadership?brings, the lows can be incredibly low. The job can feel lonely, especially when you must make unpopular decisions, own up to your failures?and face regular questioning and criticism.?

All leaders must deal with stress, but the very best leaders handle the ups and downs with ease. They let?things slide off their backs with resiliency, grace?and grit. It's not always easy to do; I know from experience what it's like to receive tough feedback or be forced to make a decision that impacts people negatively. I know what it's like when a well-thought-out plan doesn't deliver a desired or expected outcome. Disappointment, frustration?and insecurity can lead to a breakdown in leadership.

Leaders can't afford to break down, lose their cool?or be overly sensitive. Instead, they must toughen up and lead well, no matter the ups and downs. Here are five ways you can toughen up when the going gets tough.

?? Be determined

???Know when to let go

???Look for the truth

???Find gratitude

?? Stop feeling sorry for yourself

With leadership comes great responsibility — a responsibility to make good decisions. Be transparent, give and receive feedback?and withstand setbacks and disappointment. To?be a great leader, you must toughen up.?

Check out my latest article on?Entrepreneur?for more.

Reflect Forward Podcast Spotlight: Work Hard for An Idea You Believe In

Guest:?Kara Goldin is the Founder of Hint, Inc., best known for its award-winning Hint water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. She believes you must work hard for an idea you believe in. Kara?has received numerous accolades, including being named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Northern California and one of?InStyle’s?2019 Badass 50.?Previously, Kara was VP of Shopping Partnerships at America Online. She hosts the podcast?The Kara Goldin Show.?Her first book,?Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters,?was released in October 2020 and is now a WSJ and Amazon Best Seller.??Kara lives in the Bay Area with her family.

Episode in a Tweet:?Work for an idea that you believe in. Overcome your doubts and doubters. Build a company that changes lives.

Quick Background:?In this week’s episode of Reflect Forward, Kara Goldin, Founder of Hint, talks about what it was like to build Hint, taking it from an idea in her kitchen to the superstar, mission-driven brand that it is today. Kara shares how she overcame adversity and figured out how to compete in the gigantic beverage industry. We talk about the divisive marketing branding companies use to lure consumers into drinking sugary beverages and how she built Hint about the motto “Drink Water, Not Sugar.”

Kara and I also talk about employee ownership. All of Hint’s employees are owners – a near and dear topic to me as StoneAge is an employee-owned company, too. Kara discusses how powerful it is when people believe in the mission of the company and how it translates to success when they have equity in the company.

Listen on?iTunes,?Spotify,?or?from my?website.?

Advice From a CEO: Five Ways to Stop Being Complacent

We all know that complacency kills. If you allow yourself to be complacent or mediocre you won’t drive success. Being mediocre won’t build trust and respect. If you are complacent, you’ll be left behind. You have to want and expect more from yourself and your team.

My tips for avoiding complacency include:

1. Ask for feedback. There is nothing more powerful than getting actionable feedback that kicks you out of complacency.
2. Take on a new endeavor. Trying new things and working hard to get good at them gets you out of the status quo.
3. Anticipate changes. One of my favorite ways to overcome complacency is to anticipate how my industry is going to change and then set StoneAge up to not only handle those changes but thrive in them.
4. Read more. By constantly learning new things, you’ll be inspired to try new things. Reading books, articles and other publications will give you insight on ways to improve yourself and your company. Never stop learning, especially if you never want to be mediocre.
5. Don’t drink your own Kool-Aid. All too often, people and companies get trapped into thinking that their way is the right way. They don’t want to change because they’ve been successful. They stop asking questions and repeatedly say, “this is the way we’ve always done things.” Drinking your own Kool-Aid will lead to complacency because you’ll miss opportunities to develop alternative solutions and offerings, forego new ways to look at old problems, dismiss potential relationships, and pass on ideas that might positively change the course of your life or business.

If you don’t want to be complacent, try new things, hold yourself accountable, ask for feedback, and don’t drink your own Kool-Aid.

If you like this and want more detail, check it out on this?YouTube episode of Advice From a CEO.

Leadership Tip: Why You Should Question Your Thoughts

We live in an age where we tell ourselves that being RIGHT is worth fighting and even killing for and where tolerance, acceptance, compromise, and admitting that you are wrong are signs of weakness. But here’s the kicker: WE ARE NEVER RIGHT BECAUSE THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE RIGHT WAY. There are almost 9 billion people on this Earth, which means there are 9 billion different ways to think about everything there is to be thought about. That’s mind-blowing. If there are 9 billion different ways to think about the thought you just had, how can you be so sure that the way you think is the truth?

Questioning your thoughts is extremely powerful and brings more accurate self-awareness. Yes, it can create discomfort, especially when challenging your belief systems, but eye-opening and life-changing. Not believing that your thoughts are true, that your way is the only way, can lead you to new perspectives, new ways of thinking, to stretch yourself, and most importantly, as a leader, to make better decisions. Not believing everything you think allows you to make room for other people’s ideas and solutions. It cultivates tolerance, acceptance, and compromise. It helps you be a better person, parent, and leader.

Read more on how to question your thoughts and enjoy a fascinating story about truth in my blog?here.

Looking for more leadership tips? Want advice or to share ideas?

Follow me on?LinkedIn?or on?YouTube

Or email me at?[email protected]

Subscribe to?Reflect Forward on iTunes

Copyright ? 2021 Kerry Siggins, All rights reserved.