How to Not Get in Your Own Way

There’s a collection of things that I often hear when we start implementing frameworks to address common challenges Leaders face (Maybe you can relate with some of them )

You might be thinking, "Implementing frameworks sounds great, Michael, but how am I going to get my team on board? Some people on my team won’t handle these conversations well.”

It’s a valid concern, but the assessment phase isn’t just about assessing your team, it’s about assessing your own approach as a leader.

Every leader is in a growth process and has the ability to make course corrections.

You can step back and say, “Here’s what I’ve done well, and here’s what I want to improve.”

When you give yourself grace, you’ll be able to extend that grace to your team and have more credibility in helping them move forward.

I also get that there might be specific barriers. Perhaps it’s a conversation you’re avoiding with someone, or you’re unsure how to handle certain issues.

I had one client once tell me,

"I think the reason I’ve put off talking to my team about this is because I feel hypocritical. I struggle with being accurate and yet I’m trying to coach and correct them to do something I'm not doing? It just feels off…"

I Responded,

"What do you think it could look like if you were 100% transparent with your team? What if you addressed the issue head on?

You could say,

‘Team, I’ve been struggling with how to address accuracy within our team because in part, I struggle with it too. So, I let things slide and then everyone, including our customers, feel the fallout.

I’m committed to doing things differently from here on out and need us to all improve our accuracy, starting with me. This means I’m going to ask for your help when you see issues pop up and I’m going to hold everyone to a higher standard, starting today.

Our customers and our team deserve it. Are you all committed to helping us improve and receive feedback as we move forward?’”

After this conversation and spending a few weeks focusing on accuracy, an amazing thing happened…

The entire team went from one of the worst in accuracy to the best location in the company within 60 days…

That's the power of asking the right questions, getting the right data, and acting on it to help you and your team make real change happen incredibly fast.

Lead Boldly,

- Michael