#61 | 8.30.24 - 5 Mistakes I've Made as a Leader / Fiction Book Rec / The 3 Things Your Team Needs You to Do Every Weekend / The Presidential Ham
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5 Mistakes I’ve Made as a Leader and What to Do Instead
One of my favorite quotes I’ve been thinking about lately is, “People would rather follow a leader who’s always real than a leader who’s always right.” With that in mind, using Liz Wiseman’s “Accidental Diminishers” (from her book Multipliers) as a template, here are five things I’ve identified in myself that could be potential blind spots and what to do instead:
The Rescuer
I like to jump in and solve problems, fix things, and make progress. The danger is that I can keep others from learning how to do it independently. The old ‘teach a person how to fish’ adage.
What to do Instead:
Ask questions - instead of making declarative statements and ‘fixing it,’ ask questions.
Give the team space and let them tackle challenges first.
The Optimist
On most days 😂 my attitude is optimistic. If that’s dialed up too high, I can minimize challenges, and the team feels like I’m not listening.
What to do Instead:
Take the time to understand the team’s concerns.
Empathize, understanding this may be tough.
The Pacesetter
Drawing on my achiever and arranger strengths, I enjoy a fast-paced daily routine, which can be challenging for others to keep up with and can lead to discouragement.
What to do Instead:
Encourage steady progress, continuing to celebrate milestones with the team.
The Always On
Again, most days, I like to be energetic, optimistic, and have momentum. However, I’ve been told that sometimes, this can overwhelm others and even make it hard for them to share their ideas.
What to do Instead:
Balance my energy and encourage the team by giving them room to show up
The Rapid Responder
Drawing from the fast pace mentioned above, I can act too fast, removing the team’s opportunity to handle the issue.
What to do Instead:
Pause. Give the team a chance. When I’m copied on an email that someone else can answer, let them.
Fiction Book Rec
I’ll be honest: I don’t read a lot of fiction. Ok, hardly any. That being said, I just finished the novel, “The Last Thing He Told Me,” and wow, what a story! I haven’t enjoyed a fiction book that much since I finished the trilogy my wife wrote.
I’ve noticed this book has been made into a movie on Apple TV. After my wife finishes the book, we’ll be sure to check out the movie. Highly recommended!
The 3 Things Your Team Needs You to Do Every Weekend
I couldn’t like this article more. There’s so much good stuff in here. Give this one a click even if you don’t lead a team - great stuff in here about leading yourself!
The Presidential Ham
I wish I could say otherwise, but yep, you read that correctly. This is a webpage a reader (thanks, Brian N!) forwarded me containing portraits of all the Presidents holding a ham. Not sure what to do with this 🤣
Words to wrap up
Something I’ve been considering lately:
“Old keys won’t open new doors.”