Reinvigorate your leadership

Let me tell you something that might sound a bit controversial: Trying to improve on your weaknesses is a waste of time. It forces you to focus on something you don’t enjoy or do well, draining your energy more than you realize. For example, competitiveness is one of my weaknesses. It’s stressful and makes me unhappy. Whenever I forced myself to be competitive, I struggled. It made me want to just back off and let the other person win. The stress wasn't worth it to me. I see the same happening with my coaching clients. They try to develop their weaknesses and then wonder why it doesn’t work or why they feel so miserable! When we spend too much energy on what we don't do well, we rarely improve. The greatest source of energy in your work comes from leveraging your strengths. They are the fuel that keeps you moving towards your vision, no matter the challenges. So, if you have been feeling a lack of energy while performing your role, I invite you to ask yourself: Am I using my strengths, day in and day out? To answer this question, it is not enough to know what your strengths are. You also need to understand how you are using them and whether there are strengths you are under-utilizing…or even misusing! For example, there might be strengths you built your reputation on and have been relying on so much that they have begun to bore or exhaust you. You can perform them in your sleep, but they no longer give you a boost of energy. Or, perhaps they are strengths you leaned on before you were promoted, when your value lay in being a “doer”. But now, as a leader, your job is to strategize, plan, and motivate others, which requires tapping into other strengths or using the same strengths differently. Plus, there might be tasks you do very well and therefore mistake as “strengths”, which are, in reality, learned behaviors that don’t energize you. People may count on you to perform these tasks, but you are bored with them. Time to let someone else take them on. Finally, there might be strengths you put aside and have forgotten about because they didn’t seem to fit the expectations of your job. Simply reactivating a few of those could reinvigorate you in no time! When I coach leaders, I use assessments to bring the full picture of their strengths to light and help them shape how they approach their leadership. The results are usually eye-opening and the shifts in energy and momentum materialize quickly. So, here are a few suggestions for you: Think about the last time you felt most energized at work. What were you doing? What made it energizing? Which strengths of yours were you using? Think of a strength you used to enjoy that you haven’t used in a while. It can even be a skill that, at face value, doesn’t appear to be useful in your job. How might you bring it into it anyway? Set aside a few minutes at the start of every day to think about which strengths you are going to focus on. Become intentional about it. When you are a leader, you get to decide how to perform your role. You just have to allow yourself the freedom to do so. In my new book, Hidden Metrics, I show you how to create a meaningful, tangible vision for your leadership rooted in your values and how to use your strengths to make that vision come true in an energizing way, even during challenging times. It’s based on almost 30 years of experience coaching leaders to not only fulfill their company’s goals but do so while building a personal legacy that matters to them, on their own terms.

old ideas = great ideas

What I want to write about today is how some of our old ideas sometimes never leave us. In fact, they stick around for years until the time is just right for them to become something truly valuable and tangible. The genesis for Hidden Metrics is grounded in three key perspectives I've held over the years. 1. The first is based on a commitment I made when I completed my coaching program and earned my coaching certification. In front of 100 other coaches, I stood tall and declared that my coaching would serve those who are done with hiding themselves at work. I would help them find ways to be genuine within their company cultures. I haven't thought much about this declaration over the 25+ years I've been a coach. But the memory pops up every so often. When it does, I check in with myself. How am I doing in achieving that goal? I realize now that this new book really came from that commitment I made long ago. So much of the content focuses on staying true to what matters most to you as a leader: your vision, values, and unique contributions. 2. The second thought surfaced in the late 2000's. I was asked to create a six-month program to guide first-time leaders to good leadership habits. Most new leaders hold incomplete or even incorrect assumptions about what their new role entails. Many new leaders think that the new role will be just like leading a project—but it's not. Others believe their job is to be the most knowledgeable technical expert—but it's not. Even others think it's about protecting their direct reports—but it's not that either. Because I have run into so many of these misconceptions over the decades, it made sense to include an entire section about the hidden expectations of being a newly promoted leader (whether it's your first or fifth promotion). I've made a short list of 15 new expectations that all leaders should be aware of. 3. The third notion that contributed to Hidden Metrics is that the goals set by senior leadership don't always inspire the leaders I coach. What I have observed with hundreds of leaders is that setting personally meaningful goals increases engagement, curiosity, and fulfillment. Not surprisingly, the less fun goals set by senior leadership get taken care of along the way! Taking on a leadership role means letting go of what was and embracing new ways of being, thinking, and acting. It will require you to be more authentic, to clarify what you want to deliver as a leader, and to set your own goals that will inspire and keep you moving forward. You may have ideas, notions, thoughts that deserve a chance to become real. What are they? What could you do with them? How could those very same ideas help others? In Hidden Metrics, I help you work on what matters most to YOU as a leader. Step by step, you’ll learn how to grab hold of your new role, define goals that truly excite you, and achieve them in a way that is authentic for you.

you are a leader, not a doer

  • As a leader, your value to the company has changed. It no longer lies in being a “doer”. Instead, you are expected to spend less time performing the work and more time strategizing, planning, and inspiring others. So, whether you are new or not-so-new to leadership, consider this: How are you spending most of your time? If the answer is, “by getting the work done”, I invite you to pause. A leader’s priority is to make time to think and to allow others to do the work. If you are used to being busy - doing - all the time, this shift can be unnerving. I see this often with leaders, regardless of their level in the organization. For one, you might not know how to find the time to think because you are busy with day-to-day tasks that are no longer yours to tackle. Second, you might not know what it is you are supposed to think about. So how do you begin? Start by setting aside just 15 minutes, first thing in the morning, before you open your email or dive into your to-do list. Ask yourself: What aspect of my leadership am I going to focus on today? This question helps you be deliberate and intentional about how you move through the day. Of course, the question implies that you are clear on what you want your leadership to be about. If you are not, I suggest starting with the exercise I laid out in my last email[VB1] . Here are other prompts to direct your thinking: How do I want to feel at the end of the day? What is going to give me the most satisfaction as a leader? If you find that what’s going to give you the most satisfaction is being the one who gets things done, solves the problems or has all the answers (the very things you must stop doing as a leader), you need to explore how you can begin to let go of that mindset. Use the thinking time to reflect on: what else can satisfy you what you want to use your leadership for the big picture you want to create that will make being a leader exciting and worthwhile. You have to build a new relationship with yourself and how you see yourself in your role. That’s how you are going to take ownership and charge of the way you lead. If this sounds challenging, my new book, Hidden Metrics, is an in-depth step-by-step guide on how to make this shift. It helps you create a leadership that you can truly call your own while delivering your bosses’ agenda!

I am the leader who...

How do you define your leadership? Most of the leaders I coach can’t answer this question. They have never taken the time to really think about it. Nobody has told them it’s the first thing they must do. They often say, “I lead by example”, but when I probe further, they are not clear on what example they are actually laying down. As a result, they keep flying by the seat of their pants, ungrounded. They feel like a mouthpiece for the decision-makers - a cog in the machine - with no voice of their own. Their teams have a hard time trusting them because they can’t predict how they are going to show up. So, if you have never defined your leadership, I invite you to do that this week. Ask yourself: What are the qualities I want to embody as a leader? Come up with a list of 8-10 qualities. Here are some tips on how to go about it: Don’t be afraid to let go of values that you were taught growing up if they don’t fit you! Your family may have been super competitive, but that value may no longer serve you in your role. Think of the coaches, teachers or bosses you have had who inspired you. What traits did they have that worked for you? Think of the anti-role models you have come across. What behaviors did they demonstrate that you do NOT want to display? Think of your favorite superhero when you were a kid or characters you love from books or movies. What values did they represent? That last bullet point is a serious one. A leader I coached was a big fan of Wonder Woman, whom she saw as empathetic, deliberate, and even skeptical – so much so that she had a golden lasso that compelled people to tell the truth. She was brave and willing to do the hard things in service to others. Using Wonder Woman as an example helped my client paint a clear picture of the kind of leader she wanted to be! Once you have your list of leadership traits, create a simple declarative statement: I am the leader who (does “X” or is “X”) for (someone else, ex: my team, my company or my community). State your intention in the present tense: I am… (not: I will be…) Specify for whom you are going to be a leader. This helps you remember that your leadership isn’t about you; it’s about those you are working with. Don’t strive for perfection; just make sure the statement inspires you. The leadership qualities you listed become part of how you deliver on the promise declared in your statement. The last piece: Share your statement with your direct reports. It’s a way to let them know what’s important to you, how you intend to show up for them, and even ask them for help in “keeping you honest.” If you are not ready for this last step, it’s ok. Just start getting clarity for yourself, and if you’d like to share your statement confidentially with me, I’d welcome that! Defining your leadership is the beginning. In my new book, Hidden Metrics, I take you beyond that. I show you how to connect your values to a big-picture vision of what you want to create as a leader. Then, I explain how to use your strengths to put your values in action, every day, to make your vision come true in an energizing way, even when navigating challenging times!

Take back control of your leadership

Do you feel lost in your leadership role? Disengaged with the work? Unsure of what you are supposed to contribute? Uninspired or burdened by the never-ending pursuit of company goals? Uncomfortable with some of the responsibilities put on you? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it’s time to put aside what your bosses have asked you to focus on and define what I call, your “hidden metrics”. Think of the goals that would make you embrace your role with excitement, day-in and day-out, knowing that you are building something that is personally relevant to you. They could include… The vision of what you want to be remembered for; The change that you dream to bring to your department, organization, or field; The achievements that will fill you with pride long after the rush of hitting a “performance target” has vanished; The inner shifts that you need to make to become the leader you aspire to be; The approach that will help you meet your bosses’ demands in a way that feels right for you. These metrics can be bold and ambitious or subtle and quiet. They are “hidden” because they are yours alone; you don’t have to share them with anyone. And yet, rest assured, their impact can reach far and wide. Hidden metrics are what turns work into a place where you can be fully yourself rather than just doing everyone else’s bidding. They give you back ownership of your leadership. They can help you develop a truer sense of confidence; one that is grounded not in your title, but in what you believe is most valuable. They can gift you the courage to speak up instead of worrying about the messaging. They keep you motivated and energized through the inevitable challenges, able to go above and beyond what’s being asked of you and to inspire your team to do the same. Relationships and trust often improve. Leadership begins to feel less lonely. Ok, you might say, but how do I find the time to work on what matters to me while I’m hustling to meet all the expectations of my job? This what my book, Hidden Metrics, is all about. Using both personal and client stories and a practical workbook, it guides you to identify your metrics and turn them into realistic, quantifiable goals to track your progress. It shows you not only how to build them seamlessly into your days, but also how doing so can make it easier to satisfy your bosses’ requests. It even explains what to do if the metrics you set don’t work. If you wish to take back control of your leadership and build success that matters, this book is for you.

navigating the messy transition of promotion

Have you ever stepped into a new position only to realize you are totally unprepared for it? My former client, Chris, had just been promoted to team lead. He had earned the new role by being known as a “get it done” guy who could accomplish the impossible. And yet, when I started coaching him, he was struggling. His team told me he was too “in the weeds”, unable to step back and let them do the work, always verifying their deliverables and micromanaging decisions. This was killing their confidence. Chris had a sense that he was focusing on the wrong things, but he didn’t know what else he was supposed to be doing. Sure, his boss had given him goals and metrics to target, but many questions still remained: What was his purpose now? What value was he there to provide? How should he spend time with his team, to ensure they were doing the right things? What did the team expect of him? How could he succeed (and stay engaged!) now that he wasn’t doing anything except sitting in meetings? Chris was navigating the challenges that come with every new promotion, a time of transition that is often full of ambiguity. His past role had been clear, so he longed for how he used to contribute. In the uncertainty of the change, he was still defaulting towards it, but it no longer fit the new reality. Nobody was giving him the answers he needed because they were his to figure out. In order to own his new leadership position, Chris had to: Physically, emotionally, and mentally step away from his old ways of approaching the work. Build a new vision of himself, one that would align with how others viewed him now. Define how HE wanted to lead – beyond the boss’s expectations. Once he was able to do that, he shared his leadership philosophy with the team so that they would know what to expect of him. He learned to trust them to get things done, which, in turn, gave them the opportunity to step up their game! My new book, Hidden Metrics, was written for those like Chris, who feel lost after a promotion. It gives you practical tools to approach every messy part of the transition into a new role. It shows you how to give yourself permission to shape the kind of leader you want to be. It helps you find a way – your way - to not only meet your company’s demands with a continued sense of excitement and purpose but also build a legacy that makes you proud.

shaping your personal style of leadership

As a leader, there may be moments when you are expected to do things you are not comfortable with. You may have to work on goals that don’t inspire you. This happens at every level of the organization and with every new promotion. Perhaps your bosses want you to approach a task in a way that doesn’t feel right to you. You may feel the pressure of following their directive, only to struggle to get the job done. In those cases, I would ask you: What do YOU want to be known for? What is unique about you that you can bring to your role? Here's a perfect example, I coached the Chief of Strategy of a large company. He is a well-liked, universally respected leader, but his boss has asked him to confront his peers and push them to stop living behind the times and start thinking differently. My client was having a very hard time with this, and not surprisingly, wasn't successful with this approach. An introvert and uncomfortable with confrontation, my client was not going to succeed that way. However, he does excel at interacting with people one-on-one. At first, he was stuck on the idea that he had to follow his boss’s approach. I see this happen often. So, I invited him to reflect on his style, what mattered to him in the situation, and how he wanted to show up. We created a personal vision for what he wanted to contribute. Once he gave himself permission to lean on his strengths and values, he began working to change his colleagues’ minds through cordial conversations. He used powerful questions that opened the conversation and sparked curiosity about what is possible. He’s still delivering what’s being asked of him but doing so in the way that feels right to him, and is more successful, in the long run. As a result, not only has he grown more comfortable with this task; he also feels more in control of his own leadership. My new book, Hidden Metrics, helps you see beyond the expectations of your role and define the kind of leader YOU want to be. It shows you that when you allow yourself to use your unique style of leadership to pursue what’s truly meaningful to you, fulfilling your company’s goals becomes easier. Inside the book, you will find 20 success stories, a workbook, and very practical tools developed through almost 30 years of leadership coaching experience.

give yourself permission to create what you want

The easiest – and fastest - way to fullfill the expectations put on you as a leader is to focus on achieving what matters most to YOU. The question is: Are you doing that? If not, what’s stopping you? You don’t need your boss’s permission to work on what is personally important to you. You don’t even have to share it with them. All you have to do is give yourself permission. I once coached a woman who had recently been promoted to Senior VP of Sales, yet was struggling to stay motivated. Being a star performer, the CEO wanted her to keep focusing solely on exceeding her sales targets. While she was still enjoying this role and the financial rewards attached to it, this was no longer inspiring enough for her. When I asked her what would make the new position most exciting and meaningful, she said she wanted to help the younger salespeople in the company elevate their game, too. In order to do so, she first had to give herself permission to pursue her own vision, even though it went outside her boss’s request. Once she did that, we created a plan on how to use her strengths to mentor others while continuing to work on hitting her high numbers. Finally, we established her “hidden metrics”: concrete and measurable benchmarks to evaluate progress on her new vision. In a few months, she was able to help several people increase their sales while also growing her performance. Her engagement and commitment to the work were better than ever! When the time was right, she informed her boss of what she had been working on and helped him understand the impact of it. Allowing herself to work towards a personally worthwhile goal helped her go above and beyond what was expected of her. The whole company was better for it…and the numbers were there to prove it. In my new book, Hidden Metrics, I help you work on what matters most to YOU as a leader. Step by step, you’ll learn how to define goals that truly excite you, what to do when these goals conflict with what the boss expects of you, and how to use your strengths to stay motivated and on track, even when things get hard. Your leadership impact will grow because of it!

The Obsession with numbers is limiting leaders

If you are a leader at any level, you may be constantly reminded that hitting the numbers is all that matters. You must spend most (who are we kidding, all!) of your time on that. But beside the fact that it is what the bosses demand of you, do you actually care about the “numbers”? Almost all leaders I coach don’t. They see them as a mandate put on them that they had little or no say in. You see, companies have become very good at tracking progress towards financial goals. But, by and large, they still fail to measure – and focus on - what’s most meaningful to the people doing the work. The irony is, it’s those inner drives and personal visions that have the biggest impact on the bottom line! I have seen this over and over in my 30 years of executive coaching When leaders have permission to pursue what’s important to them, reaching the company’s goals becomes easier. Why? Because they grow more satisfied with their work, more confident, more engaged, more comfortable in their leadership, and less afraid to use their voice – regardless of the situation. Then, they start applying the same philosophy with their team. As they take full control of their contribution, they naturally start to go above and beyond the expectations of the job. My new book, Hidden Metrics, helps you define and work on the “metrics” that matter to YOU; the ones that aren’t tied to spreadsheets. It is an easy step-by-step guide full of examples and practical tools. It shows how to track your progress on these metrics, even when they feel intangible, and how to use your strengths as their fuel. If you have been feeling lost, burned out, or not in control of your leadership, this book is for you!