It was a tough couple of weeks. The cocktail of challenges was impacting our performance. We needed stronger results…now. I didn't realize how much my stress showed on the outside. A trusted leader on my team shared bluntly: “You're changing.”
The words stung with fierce truth. He was right. Succumbing to the leadership squash sandwich, I was taking on familiar, but unwelcome behaviors common in such scenes. I was showing up weirder.
“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”~ E.E. Cummings
I was worried for our mission, our cause, and our careers. My passion to protect my team took on an ironic intensity. My supportive style had morphed into frantic control. I began inviting myself to calls and requiring more rehearsals before executive readouts. Instead of trusting my competent team, I scrutinized each page of every PowerPoint deck. My efforts to protect them from my stress had backfired.
I had stopped leading like me. The words still echoing from the first conversation, my phone rang again. I now knew my team was tag-teaming this intervention.
“I joined this organization because I believe in your leadership. Your rare style works. Stay the course. We believe in you, in us, and the mission. Every one of us has your back. Just tell us what you need.”
Time to be the leader I must be.
What My Team Reminded Me About Being A Leader
- Showing up tough is weak.
- Servant leaders must also receive.
- Great teams hold their leader accountable.
- I want to know the truth.
- Great leaders tell the truth.
- Courage means staying true to your style.
- My team needs me to lead like me.
When times are tough, it's easy to doubt our instincts. Under times of pressure, authentic leadership matters most. Tell the truth. Involve them in the situation, and trust them to be part of the solution.
Assess your leadership at WinningWellBook.com.
