Welcome to the Pursue You Podcast, where we are empowering you to continually reflect, design and pursue who you were created to be so you can give the gift of your best self to your family, community, and business!
This is Episode 22 and in this episode we are talking about leadership! You might say, “I am not a leader!” John Maxwell says “Leadership is influence.” Whether you stay at home or you run a crazy big business or maybe you just have friends…you have influence! You are a leader! One of my favorite concepts I have read about in the past few years is from an incredible book called Multiplier by Liz Wiseman. It is a Wall Street Journal best-seller. The subtitle reads, “How the best leaders make everyone smarter.”
The book is over 300 pages long and the audible is over 11 hours long! But, It is a labor of love! Today I am going to share some of my favorite nuggets from this book! Hopefully you will be inspired to learn more about author, buy the book for yourself and perhaps allow yourself to go deeper with some of the incredible concepts. My hope is that this episode and the concepts I outline from Liz Wiseman book inspire you to become the best leader you can so the people around you can reach their potential!
[5:40] I explain “The Idea Guy” – A visionary! The intention is to share new ideas and to stimulate others to have new ideas, too. What actually happens? All of the new ideas over and over leads to overwhelm and a team of people chasing all of these new ideas! The workaround? Create a holding tank! This is a “white space” document that a visionary can write out their ideas and thoughts! So, when you get a new idea, stop and assess the people in your world. What are their priorities? Will you be adding value? OR are you disrupting priorities and flow? If so, put it into a holding tank!
[11:18] I explain the “Always On” – The intention of this leader is to create infections energy and share their great point of view! When a leader is “always on” she might become white noise to her team! It limits the thought power of her team and not giving them a safe place to speak up and share their brilliance. The workaround? Do more listening! Ask more questions! Say something only once and create a reason for others to chime in and VALUE their input!
[13:22] I explain the “Rescuer” – A leader rescues team members to avoid the team’s failure or to save the team’s reputation and it can accidentally diminish the potential of the organization! I explained an example Liz gave of a trip to the beach with her son. He continued to get too close to the water and she continued to “rescue him.” She finally let him experience a “medium sized wave” – he got knocked down but he learned! I explained how I began to see “medium sized waves” as a positive and how I learned to make space for mistakes on my team and see them as an opportunity. The workaround? Make space for mistakes!
[16:20] I explain the “Pace Setter” – We as leaders want to move quickly! And, that quick pace can encourage others to keep that pace too! When leaders set the pace they are more likely to create spectators than followers. The workaround for the pace setter is to be sure you are never getting too far out in front of your team. Stay in sight.
[17:45] I explain the “Rapid Responder” – This is the person who is quick to take action in an attempt to keep the organization moving quickly…they are “on it!” These leaders are not giving the people they are leading the time to respond. The workaround for the rapid responder is to wait 24 hours before replying (or a timeframe that works best for your team) gives them the time to create ownership!
[19:27] I explain the “Optimist” – Optimists are leaders with extremely lofty goals or who are so positive they are not seen as real or authentic! They are not appreciating the work/challenges it takes to reach a goal! The workaround is to show up as real highlighting the positives but not forgetting about the challenges.
[19:30] I explain the “Protector” – I explain how I compare this to “lawn mower parents,” a parent that goes through life mowing a clear and safe space for their children so they do not experience challenge. The protector protects their team from big problems and challenges. These leaders produce dependent followers because they are not seeing the reality of the challenges at hand. The workaround here is to be open with your team, explain the reality of each situation. Challenge them with that so they can grow.
[22:11] I explain the “Strategist” – This type of leader always does the thinking, which takes away from others on the team doing their own thinking. When I as a leader get excited about new ideas and doing all the thinking, team members are not going to do their own thinking because what’s the point?! The workaround is to create a problem and give your team the framework and then shut up! Challenge yourself as a leader to talk less.
[23:55] I explain the “Perfectionist” – I explained that this is one of the hardest for me as well as an example of how this affected my very own team! A leader’s need for perfection can halt work efficiency and take time away from team members. It also has the potential to make team members feel criticized and disheartened. It affects culture and team morale, which in turn affects production, which in turn impacts the service a team can provide its clients. The workaround here is to define “how to win with me” as a leader. I call mine “Mandy’s Mantras.” These are certain standards that I lay out on the front-end so my team can self-assess without my constant help/review.
Remember, leadership is influence! YOU ARE A LEADER! Think about how you might be accidentally diminishing someone in your world! I know I felt exposed but it helped me grow! All of these tendencies come from great intentions but can backfire. Analyze what ways your influence on others might be accidentally diminishing them! But also, think about it as a follower! We are all leaders BUT we are also all followers! Think about it from the perspective of someone who is leading your team and leading you. What if is someone who is influencing YOU is feeling the same way you might be right now? They have the best of intentions but you might be feeling diminished. The solution? Start with grace with the leaders you are following. Also, make a game plan. Have a conversation with your leadership. Share the podcast and Multipliers book with them. And, most importantly, communicate with them! It will help you learn more about yourself and those around you!
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