Sage Tidbit #12: How Can You Take Your Leadership to the Next Level?

A tidbit is a small morsel…. of inspiration, insights, or lessons learned/tips to reflect on, and digest, over your week.

Today, I’m sharing Amy’s* story: A leader who was already very successful and had just been promoted and given a much broader role in the organization. She was a dynamic doer and adept at mentoring and educating her people. They looked to her for answers. Her challenge was being an even more strategic leader who needed to learn about two additional business lines with which she was not as familiar.

In order to do so, she needed to free up more of her time. This meant she had to delegate more. She needed to develop her people to take on responsibilities that she was previously doing. This required her not only to continue being a mentor but to be a better coach – helping her people think more for themselves and realize what they were capable of doing. This required Amy to experience both a mindset shift in how she thought of her role as a leader, and to change behaviors – habits and ways of interacting and being with her team. She needed to find satisfaction in seeing her people problem solve versus getting a charge out of being the one to solve the problem.

*Not her real name.

Reflection Questions:

• Where are the opportunities for you to be more strategic in thinking more broadly about your role in the business?

• How, and when could you be doing more coaching, helping people solve problems themselves?

• How can you find satisfaction in seeing others solve problems?

Suze Shaner-Brodax is an executive coach and leadership & organization effectiveness consultant. She also teaches yoga and meditation – tools to keep one sane in uncertain times. She helps professionals step up to their fullest leadership, life and growth potential. At times this means getting out of their own way in getting important stuff accomplished. www.sagelead.com.