The Conversation Most Leaders Never Get to Have

Every leader has a version of themselves they bring to work. It's the one who has it handled in the board meeting, who sounds sure in front of peers, who never lets the team see them sweat.

Nothing's wrong with that version. You carry a lot, and your people need you steady. But when it's the only version anyone ever sees, some important questions can never get asked. And the gaps underneath them never get worked on.

The Front You Put Up Every Day

Most days it isn't dramatic. It's small.

You smile through the staffing gap. You nod along when the next digital rollout comes up. And when your managers ask about the succession plan, you say it's coming along, even though it's still sitting on your list.

That's normal. Almost every leader does some version of it, usually without noticing. The cost shows up later, because the things you're really wrestling with stay private, and private problems rarely get solved.

What I Call the Ground Truth

My favorite part of this work happens one-on-one, when a leader and I get to what I call the ground truth.

In those sessions, nobody has to look good. We get to work through the meat of it. What are you actually struggling with? Where do you need support? And what were you never taught as a leader, because nobody ever sat you down and showed you?

That last question matters more than most people expect. Leaders usually get promoted because they were great at the job below this one. Then one day, they are running a department, or a whole credit union, and the role asks for things nobody ever taught them: how to delegate, how to have the hard conversation, how to build the next leader behind them. Most leaders are just expected to figure it out.

The ground truth is where we name those gaps out loud, without judgment. Then we start building what's missing.

One leader recently shared with me that she had been so focused on her own development that she really hadn’t considered how to coach other leaders. She has two new leaders on her team, and we spent time focusing on how she can leverage her impact the most with them and what frameworks can support them best. 

And work like this matters, most at the top. You're the biggest lever your organization has. When you grow, the whole credit union feels it.

Find Your Ground Truth in Ten Minutes

You can start this week, on your own. Set aside ten minutes, close the door, and answer three questions. Nobody else has to see your answers. 

1. What's one thing you're pretending to have handled?

2. What part of your role were you not taught or shown how to do well?

3. If you had someone to think it through with, what would you bring them first?

Write your answers down. Whatever shows up is your starting point.

Send Me the Question.

Your answers stay yours. But if one of them points to an area where you'd love some support, hit reply and tell me which question it came from. 

I'll write back and share more about how my one-on-one process works, and whether it's the right fit for you and your team. 

Investing in your own growth is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your team.

Lead Boldly,
~ Michael