Written by Craig A. Coffey, Founder & President
Way Maker Leadership LLC
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” Aristotle
In speaking with many C-suite executives about leadership, they all seem to advocate for a similar set of successful, well rounded leadership principles that usually focus on 3 things:
- leading your business
- leading your team
- leading yourself
As I probe deeper, many executives can go to great detail about how the first 2 are tracked and monitored thru obvious measures and metrics (i.e., forecasting, revenue, profit, ROI, ROE, employee engagement scores, employee retention rates, etc.). Unfortunately, when pressed on how “leading yourself” is emphasized and or measured it can become a bit more ambiguous and somewhat of a secondary focus. Which leads me to wonder…how can we effectively manage the complexities of business or other professional relationships and teams if we still struggle to lead ourselves first?
Yes, there are things like annual performance reviews, 360 feedback and training programs but they are more episodic or infrequent versus the steady drumbeat of the quantitative business measures that we are immersed in every day. Plus, any seasoned business person would also tell you that those personal development tools are often highly influenced, poorly documented or even ignored.
As a result, the “leading yourself” learning can often become a “self-help” process. There is no shortage of leadership books, assessment tools, webinars, employee networks, mentors and even executive coaches (a shameless plug for my profession). They all provide great tools, insights, objectivity, best practices to help raise our game. We should leverage as many of these tools as possible. But there is one critical resource often overlooked when we are seeking learning and self-development. This person is the expert on you. The one who knows what you’re really thinking, your motivations, deepest fears and insecurities and greatest ambitions. This person knows the journey you have been on, where you come from, the obstacles you are facing and where you want to go. YOU!
So, I have dedicated this article to my younger self. Some of the business advice I “wish I’d known sooner” (WIKS). I once heard there was protection power in the #11 so I have chosen 11 topics. It is not a comprehensive list…that would take too long based upon my own naïve mistakes and career misadventures. Aside from love, protection and candor are the greatest gifts we can give ourselves, so I made best efforts capture the lessons or advice in that voice. While I do not claim these to be universal, I hope you benefit from them too in some small way.
- Get over yourself: This is one that will trip you up often especially when you are first starting your career. Not everything is about you. If someone doesn’t greet you nicely that day or you are not invited to a meeting or on a conference call it may have nothing to do with you. Business is chaotic, fast passed and not always nice. Thick skin will come in handy. Eleanor Roosevelt said it best; “you wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realize how seldom they do”.
- Choose progress over perfection: We can seek perfection for a new product launch, a PowerPoint deck or some other thing we are working on but that obsession with perfection is a distraction. Chasing perfection will have you focusing on small details or distractions which just won’t matter over time. Learn to say “good enough” and progress forward. Then the feedback you will get from whatever you have put out there will be far more valuable that the stuff you were tinkering with that was holding you back.
- Ask: This is a big topic that covers a lot of territory. A) ASK…If you don’t know something. It is how we learn and grow. You are goofy for not asking. B) ASK if you need help. Set pride and ego aside. You can always return the favor in the future or pay it forward by offering to help someone who does not ask. C) ASK when want something or think you have earned it and not received it. People are not mind-readers. When you don’t ask, it can lead to resentment. The worst thing that can happen to your request is someone says no…then simply ASK another question…why not?
- Don’t discount your dialogue: When you say things like “I might be wrong, but”, “here is a crazy idea,”, “this might sound silly” you immediately discount whatever comes next…no matter how brilliant. These soft, preface statements diminish the value of your ideas and your stature. The result is that people may tune you out because you have signaled it’s not important or you’ve given them ammunition to shoot it down. Be thoughtful about what you are going to say. Then, state your ideas and opinions with confidence, clarity and facts.
- Recognize being different does make a difference: As a person of color and any other definition of diversity that might apply, you will be treated differently by some. Whether it is conscious or unconscious bias you will not always feel as though you belong. Some may employ the classic stereotypes that are often used against people of color and/or women where “passion” is mistaken for “anger”, “directness” is mistaken for “sharp elbows” and “ambition” is mistaken for “selfishness”. You can control how you show up. You can control your integrity, attitude, work ethic, preparedness, communication and emotions. Your difference does make a positive difference. It affords you the chance to bring a new perspective, a different voice and an unexamined context. Use those opportunities as teachable moments to those who might be open-minded. Ignore (and privately forgive) the closeminded ones.
- Collaborate: Business is a team sport. Individual heroics don’t work in the long-term. Companies, like sports teams, are interdependent. There is a well know African proverb that states “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
- Don’t compare yourself to others: It is a trap. From a distance, others will seem smarter, more buttoned up, ahead of you, in command of work’s twist & turns. Remember you were blessed with amazing talents and gifts. You have value to offer. Comparison is the thief of self-confidence, joy and peace.
- Watch & Listen: be observant, be present, pay attention in meetings and interactions and don’t multitask on your phone or tablet. You can learn so much about a company culture and the norms of the workplace by a lot of little things you see and hear. How do people you admire or in positions of power dress or carry themselves? Who sits by whom in meetings? Who has good or bad opinions why? Whose recommendations is followed up on and why? Is conflict or disagreement encouraged and healthy? Try to give context to what you observed and heard. Test your conclusions in future interactions to see if they were accurate. Even negative behavior observed has value. It can give insight into someone’s character and help you control your emotions or rise above it when confronted by it in the future.
- Be Curious: Learn as much as you can from whomever you can. Don’t just stick to your functional area but actively connect with other departments and people and find out what they do and how your work connects. It will give you a bigger picture perspective of how the company operates, makes money and I promise you an innovative idea or process will emerge from it.
- Learn the languages of business early: In short, math is how any company keeps score. Avoid becoming the late bloomer you turned out to be by studying the 3 languages of business (accounting, finance & economics) and how they interact to drive decisions, priorities and investments. Accounting is backward looking but it is important to understand how to read financial statements (balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement). Finance is forward-looking and centered around assessing value, rates of return and how to maximize the value of the firm. And finally, there is economics. Businesses do not exist in isolation. Economics explores external factors like the markets, supply and demand, consumer preferences, price sensitivity, regulation, etc.
- Love and be yourself: Not to be confused with #1 (get over yourself). Be genuine and authentic. Be an advocate for your career. You must take responsibility for your development, career journey and your time. Pursue a career that your passionate about and has purpose, not just a paycheck. Find the right balance so that work does not consume your personal life. In this digital, connected world, you can literally be on line 24/7. Don’t’ be that person. Protect your hobbies and interests. Make family and friends the center of your life not work. Work is what you do and not who you are.
Because life is an ongoing learning journey, I may periodically share more WIKS (Wish I’d Known Sooner) advice. Let me know what would you share to your younger self?
