The quickest way to improve as a leader
Seeing reality for what it is – and removing our self-judgment of that reality.
The quickest way to improve your leadership skills?
It’s to pay attention.
To notice when a direct report seems more frustrated than usual and stuck on something – so you can be proactive about giving them support.
To take note when you make a commitment to your team — so you can make sure you follow through.
To observe when a team member makes a rude comment that unsettles the rest of the team – so you can then give feedback so it doesn’t happen again.
To see what is actually happening – rather than what we’d like to be happening.
And then, to try to find the best action in the face of that reality, without lingering in negative self-judgment.
It’s not “your fault.” It’s not because “you’re a failure.”
Many times, we avoid paying attention as a leader because we’re afraid of what we’ll see… and what it will mean.
We’ll see that we’re tracking way behind our goals more than we want to be. And so, we worry: “Maybe I’m going to fail.”
We’ll see that we’ve postponed a hard conversation way too many times, and now the problem has ballooned. We feel dejected: “Maybe I’m a horrible leader.”
We’ll see that we’ve postured about one direction for the company, but haven’t leveled with our team about how that’s changed. We despair: “Maybe no one is going to want to work with me anymore.”
But the fear is born from the judgment we’re placing on reality — not reality itself.
We fear being a failure – but not the goals themselves.
We fear being a bad leader – but not the conversations themselves.
If we can quiet the self-judgment, what can become louder is the energy to take action to improve that reality.
Then we can see the gaps and opportunities – and then act in a way that is accurate, effective, and most helpful.
That’s when we’ll improve quickly as a leader.
✨ For deeper insights on our frameworks on the fundamentals of leadership, be sure to check out our Foundations of Leadership module in Canopy 🌱