Leading with Grace

Showing grace to those we love is usually fairly straightforward. Showing grace to those that we feel are undermining us, threatening us, or come to us from a radically different point of view is an entirely different matter.

Why discuss grace here? Isn’t this sort of thing supposed to be kept out of the world of work? Well, I firmly believe the one thing the world of work needs now more than ever is for each of us to intentionally show grace: to our colleagues, our competitors, and to those who we feel are disrespectful to us (either real or imagined.)

Most of the major world religions all embrace the concept of grace as a central theme to what it means to be followers of that faith. So, I don’t think we need to get all worked up about discussing grace as an essential skill for leaders to develop.

So, what does grace look like to me? How do I (struggle to) practice extending grace in my own life? It has a few central elements that may resonate with you too.

- faith as my guide

- patience

- taking the long-view vs wanting immediate satisfaction

- understanding that how I see the world is not how others see it

- valuing each person as the individual they are

Leading with grace…practicing grace…living with grace as a core part of who I am as a person is difficult. But, I’ve found it to be one of the most empowering leadership practices both personally and professionally.

What role does grace play in your life?

Thanks for being here.

Jay

Pic

Blast Furnace Learning

We’ve all been there. But what to do.

Sadly, I’ve learned far more from ineffective leaders than good ones. 

Sure, I can quickly recall the best ones, and their strongest leadership traits. But the intense learning from watching the ineffective ones and committing to doing the opposite of what they choose to do in the workplace will be a game-changer for you.

“A person or situation that produces a lot of energy, heat, or intensity,

 often in a destructive or overwhelming way.”

For those of you dealing with harsh supervisors, particularly those of you aspiring to move into new or expanded leadership roles, focus on the learning you’re experiencing right now. Their failures as leaders are real world examples of behaviors that you should commit to never repeating in your own career.

Their inability to be self-aware and understand how their words come across…how their body language alienates those around them…and how the misalignment of their public face and private attacks are not hidden, can be so destructive.

You are learning.

You are understanding the bigger picture.

You are incorporating these learnings into what will propel you forward in your own leadership journey and set you apart.

You have a wide open space in front of you to build your personal brand…to develop your own leadership style…and to separate yourself from the old school command-and-control style of leadership that has permantently fallen from grace.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

Pic

Illuminators and Diminishers

Some people just light up a room. Nowadays that room is probably filled with brady bunch squares on your computer screen, but nonetheless, they amplify their energy. The best ones bring an authenticity to how they engage. It’s not for show, it is their true personality pouring out of them.

It’s contagious.

It’s uplifting.

Other people present differently. They certainly have a presence about them when they join the room. However, their negative energy often precedes any words they offer. They can quickly extinguish the present mood, sometimes unknowingly. Other times, it is simply an embarrassing power flex that falls flat…again…with them typically unaware. 

Which energy source are you?

Thanks for being here.

Jay

Our Job Is To Focus On All the Shiny Things

Q: How many times do we jump on the latest trend in business?

A: Constantly.

Consider this…how many times have you used the word tariff in the last two months? Yes, they were massively impactful (I’ll let you decide if they were positive or negative); yet they instantly evolved into the ‘crutch of the moment.’ 

Did work stop? Did the need to provide care to patients suddenly disappear? Did the demand for new cars, appliances, clothes and tech suddenly evaporate?

No.

Q: Confrontation is still the biggest barrier to business success, right?

A: An emphatic, yes.

Consider this…you’ve identified what needs to happen in order to jump start growth for your organization…or to solve a persistent operational challenge…or to make a bold move to take your team to the next level. You have the tools in place to execute and the timeline is set up to begin. Yet…the direct conversations and accountability necessary to ensure success is simply dropped at the last moment. 

Why?

Fear. In the end, we’d rather be popular than effective.

Chasing quick fixes and latching onto the latest round of business excuses may provide some sort of odd comfort to justify poor performance, but at the end of the day building a plan, staying patient, executing consistently, engaging your employees throughout and achieving results is what it’s all about.

Harvard Business Review states that “only 16% of top leaders were rated very effective at either strategy or execution. Only 8% were very effective at both, while 63% were rated neutral or worse on at least one dimension.”

Surprised? Me neither.

Mindset and execution, as always, are everything. 

- What do we ultimately decide to focus on? 

- What do we allow to distract us?

- What do we identify as opportunities for our own continuing learning and growth (vs convincing ourselves we already know it all?)

What do you think?

Thanks for being here.

Jay