Uncomfortable in Your Leadership Role?

"It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse." - Adlai E. Stevenson II

The best leaders are not the people seeking to grow their power; they are the people seeking to empower growth.

Those who possess this quality often attract unexpected leadership opportunities into their lives...

despite their belief that they would “look funny on a horse”.

It’s okay if ‘leading’ is a role that doesn't come naturally to you.

You might be expecting me to launch into a “fake it ‘til you make it” speech.

Instead, my call to action is to just be yourself.

When you are leading a cavalry charge – a really big and important charge,  your best ally is you.

Your authenticity.

Your belief in the mission.

Stop putting so much stock in what other people think.

So what if you look funny on a horse?!

The best way to become a better rider is to saddle up and enjoy the ride!

Work Up the Nerve to Play

When did work and play become such epic rivals?

It’s not a competition.

Don’t get me wrong, working hard can be very rewarding! And playing hard is its own kind of fun...

It’s just not a matter of 'either/or'.

What am I playing at? I’m working up to it…

We can still be taken seriously without having to take ourselves so seriously.

How?

One small grammatical shift can allow a huge change to occur in our personal and professional lives.

Right now we treat both ‘work’ and ‘play’ like two verbs in competition for our actions.

However, in terms of the way we actually live our lives…work is a noun! It’s  a thing!…a very important  thing that we all want and deserve to enjoy!

Look at all the other things you love in your life: your children, your pets, your partner, your hobbies...

Don’t you enjoy them and show them your love by engaging in play?

Why would you approach work any differently?

Let the verb  act on the noun, and these epic rivals can finally become partners.

Finally, a play on words that actually…works.

How will you incorporate play into your work today?

Would People Still Follow Your Lead if You Weren’t Their Boss?

Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. - Brian Tracy

Easier said than done…I know.

Would your employees still choose to follow you if it wasn’t a prerequisite to getting their paycheck?

I can hear you thinking, “How the heck am I supposed to know that?”

It’s a tough question with a slippery answer.

If you’re not sure, let’s figure it out together by taking Jeff Foxworthy’s lead:

If you can’t remember the last time anyone disagreed with you

…it might be because you’re the boss.

 If you’ve forgotten what the word, “no” sounds like

…it might be because you're the boss.

 If every single one of your jokes are laugh out loud funny

…it might be because you're the boss.

If people are always excited to see you

…it might be because you are the boss.

If all of your ideas are “brilliant!”…

…it might be because you're the boss.

100% positive feedback is a red flag that you're getting skewed data.

It’s time for a reality check.

How can you get a clear sense of employee morale if they feel pressure to be compliant instead of honest?

Your end goal is not to have everyone like you. Your end goal is to be the type of leader that you would want to follow.

Give your employees reason to trust you. Make it safe for them to give candid feedback.

Value their voice, their concerns, and their needs.

Respect your team.

They will be more motivated to work for you...

not because they have to, but because they want to.

Chime in with your best  “It might be because you’re the boss” line!