The Knucklehead in the Mirror

In my mind’s eye, I move like a cheetah.  Long and lean. 

My feet lightly kiss the treadmill’s whirling belt. One footfall dances into the next.  

The veldt is my kingdom.  I am its sovereign.

Which is about the time my heel strikes awkwardly. I stumble, limbs akimbo. Inelegant sounds pass my lips.  People are looking.  I see myself in the gym mirror:  oh my.

I recover stride if not dignity.  Turns out long and lean are not my idioms.  Cheetah?  Seriously?

The mirror reveals me as others see me. And there’s work to be done.

Self awareness is a critical attribute for a leader

A frequent theme with clients is a disconnect between self-perceptions and views of others. We see in ourselves virtues invisible to colleagues while ignoring limitations patent to those around us.

• Maybe we thought we were the “obvious” choice for a promotion, but were passed over.  

• We see in the mirror an excellent motivator, but we received our Division’s worst employee engagement scores.

• We believe ourselves to be superior communicators, but our team is confused about mission and strategy.

Such disconnects are obstacles in the road. How do we remove them?

Asking for Feedback is a great place to start

Feedback is a useful, if humbling tool, to narrow the perception divide.  Make it your practice to ask for it often and in the moment.  Be kind and offer it likewise to others.  

Start with trusted colleagues, people who want you to succeed and will share honest views.  Tell them why you’re asking.  Pay attention to emerging themes.

Be courageous and expand the circle.  Then go get other views, especially from known challengers. Be confident but humble. Learn and adapt. Don’t be defensive. Don’t quit.

Become a student of others.  Look for role models who excel where you don’t.  What makes them good?  Can you apply their methods to yourself?

Feedback can be tricky.  Sometimes people give useless tidbits conforming to personal bias (e.g. I don’t like your shoes) or which are so vague or trite as to be unactionable.  

You will work out how to turn down the volume on feedback noise in order to tune into actionable frequencies.  

Confronting the self requires courage and practice.  Good for you for being brave.  You might hear things you disagree with.  Some bits might sting.  So it goes. Such is the price of improvement.   

The payoff is a more effective and aware “you”, one capable of leading your team to heights the old “you” could not reach.  The only thing in the way is the person in the mirror.

If you wonder whether coaching can help you overcome a professional challenge, Let’s Talk.  Please feel free to schedule a Discovery Session with me by clicking on the attached link. 

Until next time.

Be well everybody