How to Adopt a Leader Mindset

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Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Leadership Growth Podcast.

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I’m your host, Daniel Stewart, joined with my brother, Peter Stewart, as always.

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And we’re here to be able to talk through the practical tips to help leaders like you

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be able to develop yourself even stronger, being your best self each day.

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The topic today is how do you adopt and build a leader mindset?

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What does that mean?

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What does that look like?

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But before we go to that one, here is an interesting Insight of the Week.

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Peter, you want to dive on in and share an interesting Insight of the Week?

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Happy to.

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And I think it actually, we can make a nice segue into the topic of the day.

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As I was having a coaching session the other day with an executive,

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and they had returned just a couple of days prior from

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helping out at a local chamber of commerce event in which they were

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helping be an advisor mentor to a group of small business owners,

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up and coming professionals.

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And they came away surprised at the level of energy they had after that event.

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And they were just energized interacting with them.

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And so we were able to highlight, one, that recognition that this leader had been able

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to identify something that filled their bucket, helped to recharge their batteries.

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And it was being around and working with some younger professionals,

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more early career professionals.

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And so that made her stop to think a little bit more of,

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‘well what can I do to engage in that a little bit more,

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to how can I bring that mindset

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to really embrace some of the things they love and bring to the workforce?’

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And she made a comment that she said,

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being around these professionals more, it helped me believe that

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this younger generation is going to help us do better in the workplace

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and be better in the workplace.

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And I thought that it helps kind of turn it on its ear a little bit, this notion of

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just because people may do things different, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

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How do we embrace?

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How do we promote?

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How do we truly pay attention to the strengths that others are bringing?

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So it helped bring in a little bit some of the great content that we had in a prior episode

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with Haydn Shaw talking about intergenerational differences and ways to do that.

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But it just helped bring that up from the point of, how do we help promote

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and be an advocate for those younger professionals?

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But also how do we recognize for ourselves

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things that boost our own batteries and energize us in the workplace?

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I love the openness, especially around this insight of challenging our own assumptions

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and being willing to challenge

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and being open to that

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is such a powerful way of being able to continue to learn.

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And then, of course,

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I also love what you’re emphasizing is the willingness to help others,

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especially those in a different life stage, perhaps those who are beginning their career.

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What can be done to share, not only with them, but then, of course,

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you learn back in the process.

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And that is a very worthwhile way to spend one’s time as a leader.

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Mm hmm.

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Because you’re always learning.

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And if you’re not open to that notion of learning as you’re interacting with others,

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then I think that’s a good gut check of like, why have I stopped learning?

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Why have I assumed that I know it all,

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that I know the process and the methods and everything and…

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But when you adopt that mentality of, hey,

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I’m interacting with somebody

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and they’ve had experiences I haven’t had,

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what can I glean from it?

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What can I learn from it?

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That’s just, I think, a helpful, healthy way to go through life.

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It is.

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And so let me ask you a question related to this, Peter.

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What happens when you’ve been around the block so many times,

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you’ve had experience,

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you’ve gone through the seasons of performance reviews,

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you’ve worked for multiple companies,

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and you have a pretty good idea of what’s right, what one should do.

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How do you balance that while still being open and learning about new things?

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Because that’s a tricky balance because part of it is

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this confidence we develop due to experience.

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-Yeah.

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-Yet, there’s always that measure of how do you still stay open enough?

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How do you balance that?

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I think you hit the nail on the head there at the end when you said open enough.

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It’s not saying every time you start to do something,

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you’re starting with a complete blank slate.

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That’s not learning.

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That’s not openness.

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I think that’d be stupid.

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That’s throwing all efficiency out the window.

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But it’s saying, all right, I’ve had some experiences.

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We’ve learned that this way… a customer responds to a certain way,

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or this department likes it done a certain way,

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whatever it might be.

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How do you then take that,

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but then be open to the feedback and opinions and thoughts of others?

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-Yeah.

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-And so it’s really asking.

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And how do you create that environment

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so that people are willing to share some of the thoughts

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so that then you are able to actually listen to it?

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I think it’s also paying attention to what are the high leverage situations

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and the low leverage or the high impact and the low impact.

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Maybe you can take a risk on those that have a little bit lower impact as you get going.

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But the high impact ones, you don’t want to cut corners on.

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There is established best practices for a reason.

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-Yeah.

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-But you can be open and listen to it.

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(laughing)

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But there are certain things you’re like, OK, no, this is how we’re going to do it.

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And that’s OK to recognize as a leader.

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-Yeah.

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And all this—

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-What would you add?

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Well, I was going to add that all this is ideal

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to then continue to dive into the topic at hand

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because so much of it deals with the mindset that we need to have as a leader.

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And how do we keep shifting out of an individual contributor mindset

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or we’ll just say an individual mindset

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and shift more into a leader mindset?

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And so what I would add off the bat here

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is that it’s all about the other person.

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This leader mindset, it’s so critical that we continue to shift outward

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instead of inward.

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And when we do that, we’re able to then optimize, maximize

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not only ourselves, but others.

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We can pay attention to what others need.

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We can see the ways that we can interact and benefit each other

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a little bit more clearly

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instead of it so focused on the inward

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because the other aspect of the inward focus,

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we then start getting into blaming

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or get extra defensive because then it’s all about us,

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about us, about me, about me.

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Developing this leader mindset is so critical as we focus outside of us.

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How do we recognize, I’ll say the goodness, meaning all of the positive contributions

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that people can make now and in the future while also being open enough to keep us

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learning and saying, yeah, I might know a lot.

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However, I’m going to keep learning because every situation is potentially different.

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And so as we begin this topic around developing this leader mindset,

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first and foremost, it’s shifting out of my own mind,

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my own abilities to then working with and through others,

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which is both promise and a burden at the same time.

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Promise in that it can introduce so many new ways of accomplishing things,

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big, scary, hairy, ugly problems that we can’t deal with ourselves.

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And yet it can also be so frustrating because it involves more than just us.

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Yeah.

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There are more variables that are outside of your complete control.

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And I’m not saying that when we’re individual contributors,

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we have full control over all the variables.

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(laughing)

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By no means.

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But when you add in this layer of leadership in which

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now there are direct reports that you have responsibility over

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for oversight, for guidance, for assistance,

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to really be monitoring and helping them be successful,

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it just adds this layer of complexity.

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And it’s not necessarily taught when you’re instructed on how to do your job technically.

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You don’t get this added layer of, oh, and by the way,

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yeah, also you get to monitor kind of the emotional mood of everybody on your team

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and their progress.

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And, oh, keep a tally of their strengths and weaknesses

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so that you can leverage them appropriately.

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And there may be some frustration that comes in and,

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oh, and these two actually don’t get along as well.

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But good luck and get done with what you need to do.

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(laughing)

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It’s a lot and it’s not easy.

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It also involves us defining work differently.

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-Yeah.

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-That is one of the biggest mindset shifts that any leader goes through,

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is looking at the work that one used to do.

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And that might involve, if one’s an engineer,

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to be able to do critical analysis of some set of data

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or to be able to understand and complete that spreadsheet

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or that extensive timeline.

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Valuable work.

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However, that’s not leader work.

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That’s not the kind of work that a leader typically will do.

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A leader might need to do it sometimes.

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However, there’s different kinds of work that a leader needs to do.

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And those kinds of work involves setting clear expectations,

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listening to concerns and objections for others and helping resolve it.

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Reinforcing the why and the prioritization of what we are needing to do.

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Understanding what people want to do in their careers

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and how that relates to their job and the strengths.

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Those are conversations and interactions.

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That’s leader work.

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And sometimes we might look at those things

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as we either don’t have time or they’re not a priority.

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And the trick is to be able to make sure that as a leader,

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you view that set of work as important.

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And in fact, it is what leaders need to do and do more of.

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-Yeah, this notion of leader work.

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And it’s a phrase that’s not used often.

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I think it’s powerful.

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I think it helps give us that understanding and even helps give us an excuse to

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prioritize it because it’s less tangible.

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It’s not on the to-do list as clearly

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as far as what we are trying to get done and deliver

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and accomplish on the job description.

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It’s all of… it’s built into the how we’re doing things

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and not just the what is getting done.

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And so that fundamental mindset, it’s I’m not getting it done or I’m not the one doing it.

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It’s my role now to help this task, objective project,

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whatever it might be, to get done through others,

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to help facilitate their success.

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And so all of that leader work, as you’re calling it, which I love that, that way to look at it.

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It gives you that time and space mentally to say,

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all right, what needs to happen in order for this to get done?

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And it’s not just the solution of me throwing hours at doing it.

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-Right.

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-No, that’s the shift.

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It’s, oh, OK, how… what is getting in the way of this individual doing it

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or what direction does this person need

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or what additional support does that other person need?

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Or how do I need to now talk to this other department

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in order to make sure they’re getting the information they need on time?

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Do that— all of that is the leader work.

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And it’s very squishy and less tangible.

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(laughing)

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And thus, sometimes leaders can feel like they haven’t done real work

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because sometimes they’re like, I need to do real work.

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I need to, you know, do this analysis or do this PowerPoint or fill out this approach or

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revise this policy or procedure.

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That’s the real work.

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Or I need to talk to customers.

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Yes, that’s all important work.

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And yet the leader work often is, as you say, a little squishier.

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For example, it’s listening.

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Listening not to just respond, but listening to understand and listening to show empathy

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and listening to empower and listening to clarify decision making rights

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and listening to be able to then help develop

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and listening to be able to move and adapt and move out obstacles.

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Those are listening moments.

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And also, let’s make it very clear.

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We’re not just talking about, say, a brand new leader,

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a new supervisor or a new manager.

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This is relevant at every level.

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In fact, there’s a CEO for a large publicly traded company

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that we’ve been working with for a while,

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various different levels of the organization.

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And this CEO does not like to listen.

237
00:14:26,208 –> 00:14:28,833
He has been the CEO for quite some time.

238
00:14:29,250 –> 00:14:34,916
He is very confident in his own viewpoint, and he loves to talk at people.

239
00:14:36,041 –> 00:14:38,500
Now, when you get him to calm down enough,

240
00:14:38,708 –> 00:14:42,208
he can shift and do leader work and listen.

241
00:14:43,166 –> 00:14:47,625
And yet on a day to day basis, he is so task focused, so driven,

242
00:14:48,208 –> 00:14:55,000
it is very hard for him to shift and adapt to do more leader work,

243
00:14:55,625 –> 00:14:58,000
which is really leading the team and modeling

244
00:14:58,000 –> 00:15:00,375
and setting the example and prioritizing

245
00:15:00,750 –> 00:15:03,916
instead of him doing all of the work himself.

246
00:15:04,708 –> 00:15:11,458
This is such a balancing act, but it is not just specific to the entry level leader.

247
00:15:12,166 –> 00:15:13,500
It is all the way.

248
00:15:14,166 –> 00:15:18,875
And so, listeners, as you’re thinking about yourself in whatever leadership role,

249
00:15:19,125 –> 00:15:21,166
whatever leadership level you’re in,

250
00:15:22,000 –> 00:15:27,125
begin to reflect on what is the leader work that you are actively doing,

251
00:15:27,875 –> 00:15:30,833
and how are you able to spend your time

252
00:15:30,833 –> 00:15:33,625
to devote enough time to the leader work?

253
00:15:33,875 –> 00:15:35,708
And I’ll give a couple of quick examples.

254
00:15:36,875 –> 00:15:38,416
Leader work looks like this.

255
00:15:38,958 –> 00:15:42,000
It’s spending the first 30 seconds of a meeting,

256
00:15:42,333 –> 00:15:44,708
clarifying the purpose as to why we’re meeting

257
00:15:45,125 –> 00:15:48,333
and setting clear priorities as to what we’re going to talk about

258
00:15:48,666 –> 00:15:51,166
and what we don’t need to talk about.

259
00:15:52,500 –> 00:15:56,541
Leader work is also at the end of a meeting, the last 30 seconds,

260
00:15:57,166 –> 00:16:01,041
praising and acknowledging the kind of behavior that you want to see again.

261
00:16:01,916 –> 00:16:06,000
It’s also clarifying what decisions were made, who’s going to be following up with

262
00:16:06,000 –> 00:16:09,250
those kinds of decisions and why they’re important.

263
00:16:10,333 –> 00:16:14,125
Leader work is also following up after some conversation

264
00:16:14,125 –> 00:16:15,708
with a one-on-one conversation,

265
00:16:15,708 –> 00:16:21,000
sending a Team’s message, for example, saying, hey, that was a fantastic presentation.

266
00:16:21,250 –> 00:16:25,916
I loved how on slide three and four, you really illustrated with clear examples

267
00:16:25,916 –> 00:16:27,750
as to what we needed to do differently.

268
00:16:28,250 –> 00:16:28,916
Thank you.

269
00:16:30,166 –> 00:16:33,583
All of those are examples of leader work.

270
00:16:34,000 –> 00:16:39,000
And it’s the small things that can too easily be brushed aside.

271
00:16:39,916 –> 00:16:41,083
-But they’re so impactful.

272
00:16:41,875 –> 00:16:44,000
You know, to continue on examples of leader work,

273
00:16:44,000 –> 00:16:47,041
it’s recognizing who might not be at that meeting

274
00:16:47,041 –> 00:16:49,541
and how do you help ensure that they get this information

275
00:16:49,541 –> 00:16:50,958
so that they can be successful.

276
00:16:52,208 –> 00:17:00,750
It’s looking at, ooh, this is the third time this person has tried to deliver this project

277
00:17:00,750 –> 00:17:04,125
or task, and it’s not meeting the standard.

278
00:17:05,000 –> 00:17:06,208
What additional coaching?

279
00:17:06,458 –> 00:17:07,666
What additional feedback?

280
00:17:08,000 –> 00:17:10,125
How can this communication be more clear

281
00:17:10,375 –> 00:17:12,500
so that we can position them to be successful?

282
00:17:13,375 –> 00:17:17,125
Like taking the time to do all those things, that’s leader work.

283
00:17:18,250 –> 00:17:23,625
And it can feel, because we’re not necessarily checking something off the to-do list,

284
00:17:24,250 –> 00:17:26,166
like we’ve had a very unproductive day.

285
00:17:26,625 –> 00:17:27,000
-Mm.

286
00:17:27,625 –> 00:17:31,083
Unless we take that time to stop and recognize, wait a minute.

287
00:17:31,916 –> 00:17:33,541
Look at the conversations we’ve had.

288
00:17:34,250 –> 00:17:35,750
Look at how that meeting went.

289
00:17:36,458 –> 00:17:38,500
Look at who I was able to collaborate with.

290
00:17:38,916 –> 00:17:42,458
Look at how that conversation went as we were trying to secure resources

291
00:17:42,708 –> 00:17:43,875
for the next budget round.

292
00:17:44,250 –> 00:17:46,000
You know, look, all of that.

293
00:17:46,708 –> 00:17:49,375
And so what you can do is you can look at your calendar

294
00:17:50,583 –> 00:17:52,291
and start going down and classify

295
00:17:53,166 –> 00:17:57,625
how many of these things are really leader work activities

296
00:17:58,000 –> 00:18:01,500
and how many are more project or task work.

297
00:18:02,208 –> 00:18:08,458
And if you’re going through and finding that many of them are actually not leader work,

298
00:18:09,000 –> 00:18:13,208
maybe this helps explain why maybe there’s some challenges or difficulties

299
00:18:13,208 –> 00:18:17,125
and why you’re not feeling like you’re accomplishing as much as a leader.

300
00:18:18,291 –> 00:18:21,875
Maybe there are a lot more of those leader work activities,

301
00:18:22,333 –> 00:18:24,875
and now you’re able to see why, oh, well,

302
00:18:24,875 –> 00:18:27,666
that’s probably why I’m not getting all these other things done as much,

303
00:18:27,916 –> 00:18:29,208
because I am spending time.

304
00:18:29,708 –> 00:18:33,041
Oh, and now I’m hearing I actually should be spending time on these things.

305
00:18:33,208 –> 00:18:34,541
Oh, that’s a relief.

306
00:18:34,916 –> 00:18:38,708
Like, we’re trying to, this is, it’s all about the mindset shift.

307
00:18:39,041 –> 00:18:41,708
And that’s hard to make happen and make stick

308
00:18:42,125 –> 00:18:45,500
because we are not ingrained to do that,

309
00:18:45,875 –> 00:18:47,791
especially early on in our careers.

310
00:18:48,208 –> 00:18:48,541
-Mm hmm.

311
00:18:48,541 –> 00:18:51,333
-We’re measured by our performance and what we are delivering.

312
00:18:52,166 –> 00:18:52,875
-Very much so.

313
00:18:52,958 –> 00:18:55,166
And it’s tricky when we hold on to both.

314
00:18:56,291 –> 00:18:59,833
This individual mentality and the leader mentality.

315
00:19:00,750 –> 00:19:01,958
And we’re trying to continue.

316
00:19:02,083 –> 00:19:06,750
Now, usually any role has some combination of work we need to do,

317
00:19:06,750 –> 00:19:08,375
kind of a player-coach notion.

318
00:19:08,375 –> 00:19:08,750
Sure.

319
00:19:09,041 –> 00:19:09,500
Get it.

320
00:19:09,833 –> 00:19:12,958
And we are not saying don’t do that kind of work.

321
00:19:12,958 –> 00:19:13,958
(laughing)

322
00:19:13,958 –> 00:19:16,541
What we’re saying is, where’s the balance?

323
00:19:17,125 –> 00:19:23,000
And I would bet anything that there would be more in your day-to-day

324
00:19:23,000 –> 00:19:24,375
that you could delegate

325
00:19:25,000 –> 00:19:31,125
or shift or stop to enable you to have more time to listen,

326
00:19:31,541 –> 00:19:33,041
to clarify expectations,

327
00:19:33,916 –> 00:19:35,625
and to communicate.

328
00:19:36,083 –> 00:19:38,041
This thing about communication.

329
00:19:38,500 –> 00:19:40,708
I’ll never forget one CEO I was working with.

330
00:19:41,625 –> 00:19:45,291
He said, when I feel like I want to throw up

331
00:19:45,291 –> 00:19:48,791
because I’ve communicated something so much,

332
00:19:49,333 –> 00:19:53,000
that’s when I know I’ve begin to communicating enough.

333
00:19:53,958 –> 00:19:54,416
-Mm-hmm.

334
00:19:54,416 –> 00:19:59,333
-And that is a key point because you might be sick and tired

335
00:20:00,041 –> 00:20:04,250
of saying what the priority is or the expectations.

336
00:20:05,041 –> 00:20:10,250
However, your role is to continue and using language that fits others

337
00:20:10,500 –> 00:20:13,291
and then asking others, what did you hear?

338
00:20:14,333 –> 00:20:18,708
Repeat back to me, what is the most important thing to do right now?

339
00:20:19,166 –> 00:20:20,416
What are the expectations?

340
00:20:21,208 –> 00:20:23,333
How does that fit with your understanding?

341
00:20:24,125 –> 00:20:25,916
Because we want to align.

342
00:20:26,541 –> 00:20:28,625
There is so much power in the alignment

343
00:20:28,625 –> 00:20:32,958
and in the conversation up front as much as possible.

344
00:20:33,416 –> 00:20:35,666
Versus, well, I sent the email.

345
00:20:36,541 –> 00:20:38,000
They should have all got the email.

346
00:20:38,416 –> 00:20:39,875
Why didn’t they figure this out?

347
00:20:40,541 –> 00:20:41,250
Well, yes.

348
00:20:41,750 –> 00:20:44,875
And what else have you done to reinforce it?

349
00:20:45,625 –> 00:20:48,708
How have you followed up to make sure that there was understanding?

350
00:20:49,583 –> 00:20:50,541
That there was clarity?

351
00:20:51,125 –> 00:20:52,875
Are there additional resources needed?

352
00:20:53,208 –> 00:20:55,041
Are there skills that need to be developed?

353
00:20:55,708 –> 00:21:00,541
Is there a shadow process that’s happening behind the scenes that’s actually hindering

354
00:21:00,958 –> 00:21:04,541
the process that you want to be put in, that you want to have established,

355
00:21:04,541 –> 00:21:07,291
but nobody is willing to actually voice it to you?

356
00:21:08,250 –> 00:21:09,916
How do you dive deeper in?

357
00:21:10,125 –> 00:21:15,958
And it is through communication and listening and making the time to be able to do it.

358
00:21:16,500 –> 00:21:19,000
The other great example is walking around.

359
00:21:19,875 –> 00:21:23,416
And yes, you can do that physically, but even virtual.

360
00:21:23,791 –> 00:21:24,791
How do you walk around?

361
00:21:24,958 –> 00:21:25,791
How do you check in?

362
00:21:26,208 –> 00:21:27,958
How do you just say, hey, I’m thinking of you.

363
00:21:28,166 –> 00:21:31,958
Give me a sense of what’s a great thing you’ve done this morning thus far.

364
00:21:32,333 –> 00:21:32,958
I love it.

365
00:21:33,375 –> 00:21:36,750
And these are the quick Teams messages that you can send out

366
00:21:37,166 –> 00:21:38,416
to get a quick response,

367
00:21:38,541 –> 00:21:40,083
to check in, to say, I’m here.

368
00:21:40,500 –> 00:21:43,750
I’m happy to support you in whatever way we can do this.

369
00:21:44,250 –> 00:21:48,875
Continuing to clarify why we’re doing things is so key.

370
00:21:50,208 –> 00:21:50,708
Yeah.

371
00:21:51,500 –> 00:21:56,000
It’s… if you and I, if we had a nickel every time we’re in a coaching session

372
00:21:56,541 –> 00:22:01,833
and someone makes the statement of, “I just, I wished I could be more strategic.”

373
00:22:02,250 –> 00:22:03,791
(laughing)

374
00:22:03,791 –> 00:22:08,166
I wished I had more time to, you know, think about things more from a big picture.

375
00:22:09,000 –> 00:22:13,500
And how often when we dig into that statement more and more,

376
00:22:13,833 –> 00:22:17,708
we find that this isn’t talking about building out a large,

377
00:22:18,000 –> 00:22:19,916
you know, long-term strategic plan.

378
00:22:20,541 –> 00:22:23,916
That that’s really, usually that’s not where the error is.

379
00:22:24,416 –> 00:22:28,166
Most organizations, they’ve got a plan, whether it’s a perfect one or not.

380
00:22:28,208 –> 00:22:29,666
We could go into down the road.

381
00:22:29,750 –> 00:22:30,333
That’s a tangent.

382
00:22:31,000 –> 00:22:37,625
But really those strategic activities we’re talking about are fundamentally non-tactical.

383
00:22:38,833 –> 00:22:41,083
And so this is the leader work.

384
00:22:41,708 –> 00:22:46,166
It’s that time to look at, not only are we helping connect people

385
00:22:46,166 –> 00:22:48,958
to what we’re trying to accomplish from a vision perspective,

386
00:22:49,125 –> 00:22:50,541
from a strategy perspective.

387
00:22:51,375 –> 00:22:55,458
It’s all of those interconnected conversations.

388
00:22:56,500 –> 00:22:59,125
And that’s fundamental to what we’re talking about.

389
00:23:00,041 –> 00:23:03,375
Yeah, I chuckle because you’re spot on.

390
00:23:03,833 –> 00:23:05,541
I mean, so many leaders will say,

391
00:23:05,541 –> 00:23:08,458
“oh, if I just had more time to be able to be more strategic.”

392
00:23:09,583 –> 00:23:11,666
And yeah, it’s a constant desire.

393
00:23:12,166 –> 00:23:15,416
And yet when you look deeper, there’s usually opportunities,

394
00:23:15,875 –> 00:23:21,666
especially when the leader is willing to let go of something that they’re holding onto.

395
00:23:21,916 –> 00:23:24,333
Now, maybe they’re holding onto it for a good reason.

396
00:23:24,833 –> 00:23:28,583
Maybe they don’t quite have enough trust or confidence in their team.

397
00:23:29,041 –> 00:23:31,291
All right, now we know what to focus on.

398
00:23:31,708 –> 00:23:34,291
And what can you do to help strengthen your team

399
00:23:34,666 –> 00:23:36,541
and the confidence you have in them?

400
00:23:36,916 –> 00:23:38,041
Are they the right people?

401
00:23:38,583 –> 00:23:40,166
How have you set high expectations?

402
00:23:40,666 –> 00:23:41,833
How have you challenged them?

403
00:23:41,958 –> 00:23:45,000
How are you developing their own level of proficiency

404
00:23:45,541 –> 00:23:48,375
so that you can let go of things

405
00:23:48,666 –> 00:23:52,625
so that you can then have more time to be strategic as well?

406
00:23:53,500 –> 00:23:58,916
So key to then continue to challenge oneself to go from doer to delegator.

407
00:23:59,541 –> 00:24:01,541
And that is such a key thing.

408
00:24:01,541 –> 00:24:05,041
And the other element here around a leader mindset

409
00:24:05,750 –> 00:24:11,000
is going from one right answer to many right answers.

410
00:24:11,875 –> 00:24:17,333
Because so often we as humans, we want to find the one right answer.

411
00:24:18,083 –> 00:24:21,875
And I want to be very clear that there’s rarely one right answer.

412
00:24:22,208 –> 00:24:22,833
(laughing)

413
00:24:22,833 –> 00:24:25,083
There’s usually a lot of great answers.

414
00:24:25,250 –> 00:24:28,916
And one of my great questions to ask is what else could be right?

415
00:24:30,208 –> 00:24:31,625
What else could be right?

416
00:24:31,875 –> 00:24:37,083
And as a leader, being open to hearing and talking about what else could be right

417
00:24:37,458 –> 00:24:41,500
and not carrying the source from which the source comes from.

418
00:24:41,500 –> 00:24:44,708
It could come from anywhere in the organization or outside of the organization

419
00:24:45,375 –> 00:24:46,708
to get great ideas.

420
00:24:47,625 –> 00:24:50,750
Your job is much more to facilitate, prioritize,

421
00:24:51,166 –> 00:24:54,708
and yes, help make decisions to move things along.

422
00:24:55,250 –> 00:24:57,416
But it all often comes down to,

423
00:24:57,416 –> 00:25:00,916
are you comfortable at talking about what else could be right?

424
00:25:01,958 –> 00:25:02,375
-Yeah.

425
00:25:02,708 –> 00:25:05,666
We make so many assumptions as we make decisions.

426
00:25:06,250 –> 00:25:10,708
And we assume context will be consistent and static.

427
00:25:11,458 –> 00:25:14,666
And what the right decision for right now may be

428
00:25:15,625 –> 00:25:19,791
isn’t necessarily going to be the right decision tomorrow

429
00:25:20,000 –> 00:25:22,125
or next week or whatever it may be.

430
00:25:22,291 –> 00:25:25,791
Because situations are in a continual state of flux.

431
00:25:26,125 –> 00:25:27,833
And I mean, we’re living in a world

432
00:25:27,833 –> 00:25:34,416
where there’s so much ambiguity and change across all sectors, industry.

433
00:25:34,541 –> 00:25:35,500
I mean, you name it.

434
00:25:35,833 –> 00:25:36,250
-Yeah.

435
00:25:36,250 –> 00:25:39,000
-This is not a stable time to be a professional.

436
00:25:39,166 –> 00:25:40,416
(laughing)

437
00:25:40,750 –> 00:25:41,125
It isn’t.

438
00:25:41,208 –> 00:25:42,750
There’s so much you’re having to balance.

439
00:25:43,208 –> 00:25:46,875
So being able to be open to what is the next right

440
00:25:47,250 –> 00:25:51,291
or what else could be right is a great way to look at it.

441
00:25:51,875 –> 00:25:54,041
And another way to extend this thought

442
00:25:54,041 –> 00:25:57,208
to have more of that leader mindset

443
00:25:57,958 –> 00:26:02,375
is to shift from being more reactionary to problems

444
00:26:03,000 –> 00:26:06,708
and just focus on solving those to being proactive

445
00:26:07,250 –> 00:26:11,375
so that we are anticipating what problems may come forward

446
00:26:11,916 –> 00:26:14,041
so that you can be prepared, you can get ahead,

447
00:26:14,166 –> 00:26:18,125
you can meet them before the problem actually hits.

448
00:26:19,083 –> 00:26:20,333
And that takes time, again.

449
00:26:20,750 –> 00:26:23,083
You have to pull up out of the tactical weeds

450
00:26:23,541 –> 00:26:27,875
to be able to look ahead and see how are things happening,

451
00:26:28,916 –> 00:26:33,083
what demands, problems, challenges might our various customers

452
00:26:33,083 –> 00:26:36,250
or collaborators or other be experiencing

453
00:26:36,541 –> 00:26:40,750
and how can we meet them and exceed what they might need or want.

454
00:26:41,750 –> 00:26:42,791
It’s a shift.

455
00:26:43,041 –> 00:26:45,041
It’s a whole different way of looking at it

456
00:26:45,041 –> 00:26:47,666
as opposed to, oh, I’ve solved the problems for today.

457
00:26:47,875 –> 00:26:49,166
Oh, I can breathe.

458
00:26:49,291 –> 00:26:49,666
I’m good.

459
00:26:50,750 –> 00:26:51,250
I’m done.

460
00:26:51,625 –> 00:26:54,500
But yet, Peter, firefighting.

461
00:26:55,291 –> 00:26:58,375
Firefighting can be so tremendously satisfying

462
00:26:59,375 –> 00:27:03,166
because it makes you feel immediately needed

463
00:27:03,708 –> 00:27:06,666
and you’re jumping in and there’s a problem,

464
00:27:06,791 –> 00:27:08,333
a physical problem,

465
00:27:08,500 –> 00:27:10,791
there is something right there in front of you

466
00:27:11,166 –> 00:27:14,791
that you need to address or it’s acknowledged in some way.

467
00:27:15,000 –> 00:27:18,041
And if you can solve it, then you get the dopamine hit

468
00:27:18,625 –> 00:27:20,916
and others can look and look at it and say,

469
00:27:20,916 –> 00:27:22,125
“hey, great job.”

470
00:27:22,375 –> 00:27:26,916
There’s all sorts of incentives to reinforce firefighting.

471
00:27:27,541 –> 00:27:28,083
The immediate—

472
00:27:28,083 –> 00:27:28,625
-And the hero.

473
00:27:29,166 –> 00:27:30,666
-Yeah, the hero completely.

474
00:27:30,666 –> 00:27:31,375
-Being the hero.

475
00:27:32,083 –> 00:27:37,375
-And yet it’s counter to what a leader is typically wanting to do,

476
00:27:37,708 –> 00:27:40,083
which is build for the longer term

477
00:27:40,625 –> 00:27:43,125
and acting in a more strategic way.

478
00:27:44,041 –> 00:27:48,833
So how do people get out and deal with this firefighting?

479
00:27:48,958 –> 00:27:51,958
Because it’s, I mean, a disease is a little strong,

480
00:27:52,500 –> 00:27:54,958
but it’s like a drug to be able to go,

481
00:27:55,041 –> 00:27:56,791
oh, yes, another fire.

482
00:27:56,916 –> 00:27:57,500
I love it.

483
00:27:57,541 –> 00:27:59,625
And they’re always able to check their phone

484
00:27:59,958 –> 00:28:01,875
and they’re always checking notifications

485
00:28:02,125 –> 00:28:04,541
and it makes you feel really important.

486
00:28:05,583 –> 00:28:06,166
-Mm hmm.

487
00:28:07,208 –> 00:28:09,458
And I think a fundamental to that is one,

488
00:28:09,458 –> 00:28:13,958
the recognition that as humans, we like to be recognized.

489
00:28:14,625 –> 00:28:15,666
We like to be valued.

490
00:28:16,250 –> 00:28:17,916
We like to be praised and needed.

491
00:28:18,625 –> 00:28:22,166
And we like those contributions we do to be acknowledged

492
00:28:22,166 –> 00:28:24,583
and accepted and to get that credit.

493
00:28:25,166 –> 00:28:27,541
Like that drives a lot of people.

494
00:28:28,916 –> 00:28:30,875
So what doesn’t drive us?

495
00:28:31,541 –> 00:28:32,833
Usually it’s uncertainty.

496
00:28:33,541 –> 00:28:34,625
Usually it’s fear.

497
00:28:35,333 –> 00:28:38,291
It’s the, well, I’m not quite sure.

498
00:28:38,500 –> 00:28:41,041
It’s the unknown, all of those things.

499
00:28:41,500 –> 00:28:44,083
And as you adopt this leader mindset

500
00:28:44,833 –> 00:28:46,833
and recognize that there are things now

501
00:28:46,833 –> 00:28:49,416
that you’re having to do that you might not have done before,

502
00:28:49,791 –> 00:28:52,875
or you might not have as high level of confidence in doing,

503
00:28:54,083 –> 00:28:59,833
we can compensate for that by then leaning into the tactical,

504
00:29:00,500 –> 00:29:02,916
leaning into being that hero.

505
00:29:03,166 –> 00:29:05,166
Oh, I’m the one who’s going to come and fix this

506
00:29:05,416 –> 00:29:07,250
because then that’s going to further validate

507
00:29:07,666 –> 00:29:08,708
how I feel in my role.

508
00:29:08,708 –> 00:29:11,666
Because if you really knew what was going on in my head,

509
00:29:12,250 –> 00:29:15,416
you knew how much, I don’t know what the heck I’m doing.

510
00:29:16,708 –> 00:29:18,375
And that’s called imposter syndrome.

511
00:29:19,583 –> 00:29:23,333
And at least 50% of leaders have it.

512
00:29:23,750 –> 00:29:24,416
(laughing)

513
00:29:24,416 –> 00:29:27,041
So if you’re experiencing it, that’s not abnormal.

514
00:29:27,708 –> 00:29:29,875
You’re very much normal.

515
00:29:30,958 –> 00:29:33,958
But how do you help ensure that that, you know,

516
00:29:33,958 –> 00:29:37,458
uncertainty that you have on the role

517
00:29:38,625 –> 00:29:40,208
that you’re not trying to overcompensate

518
00:29:40,208 –> 00:29:43,791
and look for ways to then get that reinforcement

519
00:29:43,791 –> 00:29:45,208
by trying to be the hero.

520
00:29:46,500 –> 00:29:49,625
So it gets at some of the subconscious psychological drives

521
00:29:50,000 –> 00:29:50,625
that we have.

522
00:29:50,833 –> 00:29:51,291
-Yeah.

523
00:29:51,833 –> 00:29:54,708
And you’re reminding me years ago when I learned

524
00:29:54,708 –> 00:29:59,583
that Beyoncé has kind of an alter ego, Sasha Fierce,

525
00:29:59,958 –> 00:30:02,750
that she will think about and kind of put on

526
00:30:02,750 –> 00:30:04,708
before she goes out and performs.

527
00:30:05,541 –> 00:30:08,000
Well, I wonder for all of our listeners,

528
00:30:08,500 –> 00:30:09,541
what’s your alter ego?

529
00:30:10,208 –> 00:30:13,833
And whether you name it, at the essence,

530
00:30:14,083 –> 00:30:16,500
it’s essentially asking yourself,

531
00:30:16,958 –> 00:30:19,666
what would a proactive leader do right now?

532
00:30:21,250 –> 00:30:23,583
What sort of behaviors, what mindset,

533
00:30:23,833 –> 00:30:27,958
what sort of habits would a collaborative leader

534
00:30:28,333 –> 00:30:29,000
do right now?

535
00:30:29,250 –> 00:30:33,041
Would a delegating type of leader do right now?

536
00:30:33,291 –> 00:30:36,625
Would an empathetic leader do right now?

537
00:30:37,416 –> 00:30:41,916
Instead of asking yourself, what would a doer do right now?

538
00:30:42,875 –> 00:30:46,833
What would a task focused leader do right now?

539
00:30:47,000 –> 00:30:49,500
No, those are kind of the things

540
00:30:49,500 –> 00:30:50,875
that are seemingly automatic.

541
00:30:51,166 –> 00:30:53,833
How do we shift and ask us these other kind of

542
00:30:53,833 –> 00:30:56,375
identity shifting questions?

543
00:30:57,250 –> 00:31:00,041
This, what does, what would a proactive leader,

544
00:31:00,041 –> 00:31:03,375
what would a strategic leader do right now?

545
00:31:03,750 –> 00:31:06,416
And that is a powerful tool for all of us

546
00:31:06,416 –> 00:31:09,125
to be able to help make that shift

547
00:31:10,083 –> 00:31:11,625
from doer to delegator,

548
00:31:12,041 –> 00:31:15,083
from one right answer to many right answers,

549
00:31:15,541 –> 00:31:17,625
from I need to do my own work

550
00:31:18,291 –> 00:31:20,250
to I need to do leader work,

551
00:31:20,250 –> 00:31:22,666
which involves listening and conversing

552
00:31:22,666 –> 00:31:25,166
and listening to challenges and resolving them

553
00:31:25,166 –> 00:31:28,583
and setting expectations over and over and over

554
00:31:28,583 –> 00:31:31,333
and over and over and over again.

555
00:31:32,041 –> 00:31:35,458
That is leader work and it pays off

556
00:31:36,000 –> 00:31:39,583
because at the end, people want a good leader.

557
00:31:40,375 –> 00:31:42,250
They expect to have a good leader.

558
00:31:42,708 –> 00:31:45,000
They want somebody who can listen to them

559
00:31:45,375 –> 00:31:48,250
and guide and direct, set a clear direction,

560
00:31:48,791 –> 00:31:51,541
provide resources and to develop them

561
00:31:51,791 –> 00:31:56,250
so that collectively all of the efforts make sense

562
00:31:56,791 –> 00:31:58,333
and they can accomplish something.

563
00:32:00,500 –> 00:32:01,750
That’s so well captured.

564
00:32:01,750 –> 00:32:04,291
And as you’re describing that,

565
00:32:04,708 –> 00:32:06,083
and I think as listeners,

566
00:32:06,083 –> 00:32:09,250
as we’re paying attention to many of those questions,

567
00:32:09,833 –> 00:32:10,916
Daniel just went through,

568
00:32:11,041 –> 00:32:12,625
but particularly that one is

569
00:32:13,000 –> 00:32:15,166
what would a strategic leader do?

570
00:32:17,208 –> 00:32:19,750
I think is a powerful one to then pause

571
00:32:19,750 –> 00:32:21,458
and think, what can I do?

572
00:32:21,958 –> 00:32:25,500
So we’ve introduced this notion of leader work.

573
00:32:27,250 –> 00:32:28,500
What’s meant by that?

574
00:32:28,958 –> 00:32:30,250
Hopefully now you’re giving yourself

575
00:32:30,250 –> 00:32:32,250
a little bit more credit for some of these things

576
00:32:32,625 –> 00:32:34,625
that you might not recognize

577
00:32:35,250 –> 00:32:37,666
as important aspects of your role.

578
00:32:38,708 –> 00:32:39,916
They are absolutely critical.

579
00:32:40,500 –> 00:32:42,041
Usually they are not noticed.

580
00:32:42,333 –> 00:32:44,166
They’re not on a performance review.

581
00:32:44,500 –> 00:32:45,208
(laughing)

582
00:32:45,208 –> 00:32:46,833
They’re not all those other things,

583
00:32:47,375 –> 00:32:50,083
but your people sure notice it

584
00:32:50,416 –> 00:32:51,416
and they recognize,

585
00:32:52,083 –> 00:32:55,166
and it helps them understand and know that you care,

586
00:32:55,500 –> 00:32:57,625
not about your own success.

587
00:32:58,375 –> 00:33:00,583
You care about their success.

588
00:33:01,333 –> 00:33:04,458
You care about that notion of we succeed.

589
00:33:04,875 –> 00:33:06,375
It’s not about the I.

590
00:33:07,375 –> 00:33:09,416
And at the heart, how often have we repeated this

591
00:33:09,416 –> 00:33:12,458
on episodes over the course of this podcast?

592
00:33:13,291 –> 00:33:16,000
It does come down to these relationships

593
00:33:16,458 –> 00:33:18,416
and it’s paying attention to the human level

594
00:33:19,000 –> 00:33:21,958
and how we all can grow together.

595
00:33:23,875 –> 00:33:24,500
Well said.

596
00:33:24,708 –> 00:33:25,708
So let’s wrap it up.

597
00:33:25,833 –> 00:33:29,541
Here’s a question, a one thing question for you, Peter.

598
00:33:30,125 –> 00:33:32,541
What’s the one thing that a leader needs to do

599
00:33:32,541 –> 00:33:36,083
to adopt a leader mindset?

600
00:33:36,458 –> 00:33:38,750
I think the one thing a leader needs to do

601
00:33:38,750 –> 00:33:41,458
to adopt that leader mindset is to recognize

602
00:33:41,916 –> 00:33:43,750
that they make the most impact

603
00:33:44,250 –> 00:33:46,583
by helping to empower their people

604
00:33:46,875 –> 00:33:48,000
to get the work done.

605
00:33:48,416 –> 00:33:52,166
And not so that they get themselves get the work done.

606
00:33:52,791 –> 00:33:54,208
It’s working through them.

607
00:33:55,000 –> 00:33:56,916
And then the close second to that one

608
00:33:57,291 –> 00:34:00,666
is give yourself credit for all of this leader work

609
00:34:00,875 –> 00:34:01,666
that you’re doing.

610
00:34:02,500 –> 00:34:04,750
Recognize it, prioritize it,

611
00:34:05,000 –> 00:34:08,000
and carve out the time so that you can accomplish it.

612
00:34:08,708 –> 00:34:10,250
Your people are gonna thank you for it.

613
00:34:10,625 –> 00:34:12,083
And you’re actually gonna find yourself

614
00:34:12,083 –> 00:34:15,500
with a few extra open cycles in the day

615
00:34:16,083 –> 00:34:17,916
because you’re handing it off.

616
00:34:18,416 –> 00:34:19,041
-I love it.

617
00:34:19,541 –> 00:34:20,833
Peter, thank you.

618
00:34:20,833 –> 00:34:21,291
Thank you.

619
00:34:21,291 –> 00:34:23,500
It’s been another fantastic episode

620
00:34:23,958 –> 00:34:25,500
of the Leadership Growth Podcast.

621
00:34:25,875 –> 00:34:27,500
Listeners, thanks for joining us.

622
00:34:28,000 –> 00:34:30,000
We hope you can take these tips and tools

623
00:34:30,000 –> 00:34:33,333
to be able to help you elevate your leadership journey.

624
00:34:34,000 –> 00:34:35,000
Please like and subscribe.

625
00:34:35,250 –> 00:34:37,250
And we look forward to having you join us again

626
00:34:37,250 –> 00:34:38,250
in a future episode.

627
00:34:38,666 –> 00:34:39,375
All the best.

628
00:34:39,458 –> 00:34:40,041
Take care, everyone.

629
00:34:40,291 –> 00:34:40,500
Bye.

630
00:34:41,458 –> 00:34:42,708
If you liked this episode,

631
00:34:43,000 –> 00:34:44,583
please share it with a friend or colleague

632
00:34:44,916 –> 00:34:45,625
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633
00:34:46,000 –> 00:34:47,750
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634
00:34:47,750 –> 00:34:48,666
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635
00:34:49,458 –> 00:34:50,375
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636
00:34:50,375 –> 00:34:52,041
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637
00:34:53,000 –> 00:34:54,083
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638
00:34:54,083 –> 00:34:56,000
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639
00:34:56,000 –> 00:34:58,375
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640
00:34:58,875 –> 00:35:01,291
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