It’s 2022 and the year has started off with reminders that we are still in a pandemic, equality is still an issue that should never be conditional on skin color or sex, and that work/life balance requires a new perspective…
Let’s call it life/work balance instead.
The ever-changing needs of families, children, income, and learning are colliding on a grand scale with the pandemic and the needs of the work organization are being forced to consider them - and it’s uncomfortable at best and revisits the company’s values at the least.
Change is uncomfortable and it’s hard, yet it’s the only way we make progress with new ideas, innovation, and new possibilities we had never considered before. Which is why coaching is still a growing industry where individuals can do individual work that carries change back into their professional success and lifts teams and organizations.
Leaders I have been working with recently are dealing with time management demands, boundary lines between work pressure and family needs, and building trust when given a team they hadn’t handpicked themselves. This is where a quick video of an interview with Simon Sinek became a credible reminder of who drives the trust train at work.
Trust is as vital to a team as oxygen is to a human, and without it we struggle to make clear decisions.
A quick way to assess the level of trust you, as a leader, are willing to give your team is to make a list of your meetings. Then allocate a more junior team member on the team that could replace you at any of the different meetings you have on your calendar. The team member must be able to attend the meeting, listen, bring back the necessary information and contribute information representing your team appropriately.
If you can put your team members in most meetings on your calendar - so that you only go to the leadership meetings that you really need to be at - take credit for being on your way to being an empowering and trusting leader. It doesn’t end here of course, but this is an interesting look at where you empower your team versus where you feed your ego. It’s not easy, but the best things in life are NEVER easy.
This is where coaching offers you a partner through the tough stuff - so it doesn’t feel impossible. So how do you start? It starts with a call.
If you would like more information of what coaching looks like with me, here’s a start. After an initial call, when we have identified your current challenges, we conduct a dedicated 2-hour session to get to the heart of what you really want to get out of coaching.
I’m always thrilled to chat with those who are already familiar with how effective a coach can be as a partner who challenges their thinking to force them to be better, reach higher, and leave a larger legacy. It still starts with a call.
There’s also a way to stay connected via Linked In, Instagram, and Facebook and I’d love to support you with our weekly Coaching Tips.