For the past two years, I’ve been working as a coach, primarily for nonprofit leaders and those who are in their first jobs. It’s fulfilling work, helping those who often have few good role models and who work in organizations that are chronically under-staffed. Whether you are a team leader for a nonprofit, struggling to figure out how to get it all done, or a new member of the workforce responding to the fact that all work flows downhill -- you have no one to delegate to – I believe I can provide counsel. Often, hardworking, diligent employees feel overwhelmed, and unable to figure out how one person can possibly get it all done. With limited resources, both financial and in terms of human capital, the workplace can seem endlessly challenging. Add in a pandemic and we are at overload. Layer in a dearth of good mentors to show you the way, and that’s the reason why you need a coach.
In my 30 years leading individuals and teams in multiple industries, I’ve learned some methods for managing overload, for having those challenging conversations that are often required, for focusing yourself so that you are both highly productive AND in charge of your own work/life balance. There are practical tips around protecting your calendar, as well as deep leadership skills around operating from your values. I’ve analyzed team dynamics, created organizational redesigns, re-established team cultures, focused groups around common goals, and dealt with the negative voices that need to go from any high-performing team. Whether you are a team of 100 or a team of one, it would be my pleasure to help you.
This is the first of a 10-part series on developing the leader in you. The first five blog posts will be for the individual contributor, focusing on best practices as a member of a team, managing up, identifying your personal values, prioritization and pushing back, and positioning yourself for promotion. While these posts will be especially useful for the new employee (whether a recent graduate or someone returning to the workplace after a break), the points are salient for any individual contributor, a term that means you have no direct reports. These posts will be about managing your time, leveraging your talents, and protecting yourself from those who will pull you down.
The second five posts will be for the team leader, looking at creating team values and linking them to behaviors, analyzing your team members and adjusting to create a high-performing team, how not to micro-manage, how to care deeply and challenge directly, and most importantly, how to create trust. While learning how to manage a team can take years, these blog posts will offer some high-level concepts that can be practiced and developed. Like parenthood, people leadership isn’t something we can learn from a book. Experience is the best teacher.
Throughout these blog posts, I’ll be referencing real-life situations, protecting both the “innocent and the guilty”. Leadership is a never-ending journey, one in which we have all made mistakes. The important piece is to continue growing, to practice self-reflection regularly, and to recommit to doing better next time. I count myself amongst “the guilty”. I still make mistakes in leadership, but I have the tools for self-analysis and the courage for self-correction, and that’s what I hope to instill in you as we take this journey together. Onwards!
Note: Please know that none of the ideas or suggestions I share are unique to me. Like all leaders, we build off the work of others. I've been fortunate to have some outstanding leaders in my life, and much of what I will share in these posts either came directly from them, or is a result of their challenges to me. In particular, I'd like to acknowledge the work of Sandra Lewis Cooper, Jim Gordon, Joy Hoshino, Betsy Nelson and Beth Bayes.
Komentar