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Stop Managing and Learn to Lead

April 4, 2018 by Tamara Leave a Comment

I don’t know what your mother says about you, but my mother says I’ve been telling people what to do since the day I was born. I was a natural-born “boss”!

Being bossy came naturally, but learning to lead was much harder.

I was only 14 when I started my first leadership development program and just 18 when I became a retail manager and had my first professional leadership position.

Some would say that I was a natural-born leader. But I wasn’t.

I was born with a natural desire to lead and be in charge. This internal, or intrinsic, desire motivated me to take initiative, be assertive, direct and manage people and tasks, and take the reins when others wouldn’t. These characteristics are commonly attributed to the mythical beast known as a “natural-born leader” so why wouldn’t I believe I was a natural born leader?

Well it didn’t take long for me to learn that taking initiative, being assertive, and managing people were not leadership skills, in fact, they often made it more difficult to lead.

In my first ten years of leadership, I learned that managing and leading is not the same thing. Management expert and author Tom Peters says it well. He says, “Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.”

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with managing. Sometimes people and tasks have to be managed. But fostering high performing teams that are satisfied and engaged requires leadership.

When we spend more time managing people than we do leading them, you will see morale and productivity decrease. On the surface, it may look like things are getting done, but your teams motivation and creativity are being diminished. When we manage, we put tasks and deadlines above the needs of the people we want to follow us.

Each and every one of us, whether at home or at work, need to feel understood, validated, and heard.

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What does that mean for leaders?

It means…

Each person on your team wants you to know who they are, what makes them tick, and what they bring to the table.
Each person your team wants to be recognized for what they contribute and accomplish.
Each person on your team wants to feel safe sharing their ideas, and having those ideas fairly considered.

And when you are able to do that, you are leading; you are enhancing and nurturing your team.

So I had to learn to lead. And you probably do to.

Leadership isn’t a lofty concept, it is actually a robust field of study that started in the early 20^th century initiated by studies to identify the behaviors and traits of leadership. Today, it is a growing field that offers leaders an in-depth understanding into both leadership theory and practices.

When I embarked on my degree in Leadership, I was blown away at how much I didn’t know…I learned to live by the mantra “we don’t know what we don’t know.” But more importantly, what I learned transformed how I lead and equipped me with essential tools to nurture and enhance the people and teams I led.

Now I’m not saying you need to run out and get a degree in Leadership, but I am suggesting that a little bit of learning can go a long way in helping you lead with more clarity and confidence, and becoming the kind of leader people want to follow.

There are 5 core concepts that have elevated my leadership, I call them the 5 Steps to Real Leadership:

#1: Identify your own approach to leadership

Know who you are and understand the values that inform your leadership. An effective leader knows who they are, what they believe and they impact they want to have on others. Those values and beliefs inform how we engage and interact with our followers.

#2: Imagine your ideal team and organization

Be inclusive and work together with your team to create shared values and a shared vision. Taking time in the early stages of team development to get on the same page can make all of the difference. When a team is operating with shared values and vision they will feel more ownership of the work and what needs to be done.

#3: Inspire others to follow you

Take time to get to know your team, communicate effectively and frequently, and manage conflict with respect and honesty. The most difficult task leader’s face is creating engaged and high performing teams of people, because people are complex. It is essential for leaders to have a deeper understanding of people, both what motivates and de-motivates them.

#4: Innovate within your organization

Know the difference between change and transition. People and organizations must be agile and able to adapt to change, because the only constant is change. Leaders can help their teams be more open and responsive to change by managing and leading transitions with knowledge and compassion.

#5: Impact the present and the future

Establish processes that allow you to get the information you need to make improvements, and adjust and adapt plans so everyone succeeds. Evaluating yourself, your team, and the organization are essential to ensuring you are all on the right track.

If you take these 5 steps early in your leadership career you can get your leadership RIGHT FROM THE START.

I’ve dedicated the last 5 years to exclusively helping millennial leaders and entrepreneurs, like you, get it right from the start. They are smart, ambitious, and talented, but they were still struggling to be the leader they wanted to be because the daily challenges of leadership were frustrating and overwhelming.

But with some leadership coaching and training they are now leading with more clarity and confidence.

And you can too!

Join me, LIVE, this May in sunny Albuquerque for Real Leadership Live, a multi-day workshop that will transform your leadership. We will go in-depth with the 5 Steps to Real Leadership so you can become a radically effective leader. Go to www.leadershipabq.com for Real Leadership Live details.

This is your time to get your leadership right from the start.

Time is Up: How to make gender inclusion a reality in the workplace

March 8, 2018 by Tamara Leave a Comment

The #metoo and #timeisup movements have struck a chord and are gaining momentum. It has gotten a lot of us thinking and talking about women’s parity and gender inclusion.

But is talk enough?

It is a great first step, but there is more that we can do. Because talk just isn’t enough! Today is International Women’s Day (#IWD2018) and it is time for leaders to make gender inclusion a sustainable reality within their organizations (if you aren’t already).

But how?

I know the conversations have been difficult. People have strong feelings and there may be some men (and others) within your organization who are feeling uncertain (or even angry) about gender inclusion. Conversations I’ve had and read include questions like:

What do women really want?

Does that mean I can’t be friendly anymore?

Does this mean we aren’t recruiting and promoting the best anymore?

These aren’t bad questions, and the answers are simple but complex.

So what women really want is to go to work and feel safe, supported, and empowered. It is imperative that leaders create safe and gender inclusive work environments where people do not experience unwanted sexual attention, sexual harassment, gender privilege or bias, and male toxicity.

Quick story: A few years ago, I was working with an incredibly bright and accomplished group of engineers. Despite their obvious talent, they struggled to get along, and well, behave. There were a lot of complaints about offensive and exclusionary language being used, and the women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ staff felt insecure and unsafe. This isn’t new, I see this type of thing ALL OF THE TIME! But on my very first day working with the team, one of the male staff announced that he was willing to participate in my training as long as there were “no alpha female” attitudes. The room went silent.

It wasn’t his words that struck me the most; it was the fact that he felt safe and secure in saying them IN FRONT OF his female superiors (and me).

So if you were wondering what I meant when I said safe and secure, I’m not just talking about physical safety (but hell yeah, everyone wants and expects that), but the safety to work in an environment that does not objectify, ostracize, criticize, judge, or reject our identities. Work environments have to be accepting and inclusive, from the foundational policies and procedures to the culture and language used within an organization, in order for the people within them to feel safe and secure.

And yes, you can continue to be friendly, but it has to appropriate and sensitive to difference. Too many people, not only women, find themselves in unhealthy, toxic, and unsafe workspaces. As a result, they are unable to engage in their work and perform to their highest capabilities.

Sensitive?

Yes, I said sensitive. But it doesn’t mean that you have to treat people like fragile flowers or snowflakes. In fact, the ACTUAL DEFINITION in this context is:

The capacity to generate increasingly more complex perceptions and experience of differences.

If you think about a radar, for example, its job is to gather information that is not visible to the naked eye. When a radar is more sensitive it is able to gather more information, and when you have more information you can make better decisions.

So being sensitive to difference isn’t about others being more fragile, it is about you having more information, being more aware, and making well informed decisions. This level of awareness is essential for creating an inclusive work environment that is not only safe, but also supportive and empowering.

More importantly, it doesn’t mean that organizations hire or promote individuals who are less or unqualified. This is a perception that must be deconstructed because bias has played a major role in performance assessment, and men have been a major benefactor. Because of implicit gender bias women are judged and evaluated differently than men in the workplace. So we have to redefine what qualified means, and accept that bias has and may play a role in how others are evaluated.

Being more aware of our bias and sensitive to difference will help organizations recruit and retain talent that are the best of the best and representative of diverse voices and experiences.

How can you make it happen?

It begins with an inclusive and gender parity mindset. You have to believe that inclusion and gender parity is just, and to want your organization to reflect that. It should be at the core of all that you do for it to become a lived value and experience within your organization. It isn’t extra, not on top of or in addition to. It isn’t something you get to eventually or correct after you have failed. It is a starting point, your base, and the ultimate check and balance.

Next, leaders must equip themselves and their team to challenge bias and stereotypes. Not only to challenge it in others when we hear it and see it, but to challenge our own personal bias and stereotypes. Both are a biological function of our brain, it is what allows us to make sense of the world around us and create spaces where we feel accepted and safe. However, the world has changed faster than our brains and we are now much more exposed to difference. So we have to be able to recognize how our brain has categorized the information and realign our bias and stereotypes that don’t support equity and inclusion, with our conscious values that do.

FOR EXAMPLE:

This riddle may reveal more than you know about your own bias. Here you go:

A father and son are in a horrible car crash that kills the dad. The son is rushed to the hospital; just as he’s about to go under the knife, the surgeon says, “I can’t operate—that boy is my son!” Explain.

I remember the first time I heard this riddle, and I remember being frustrated because I’m so good with puzzles and riddles. But that wasn’t even a match for the disappointment I felt when I heard the answer.

You see, the surgeon is his mother. A woman.

So here I am, a woman, a feminist, and intercultural practitioner, and I still didn’t get it. I was shocked…and a little disappointed. But the funny thing about bias is that it is so deep that they are invisible and we don’t even know we have them. It is especially difficult to recognize because often they don’t always align with our conscious attitudes. This is why it is so critical to become more aware of our bias because they inform our reactive mind. We use our subconscious all day long to interact, communicate and make decisions. So challenging our own bias will help us make better decisions and have fewer “foot in mouth” conversations.

Then as leaders we must forge positive visibility for those who are less represented within our organizations, and in many industries that is women. And in others it is people of color, the LGBTQ+ or disabled community. So access has to be created by building a path for those less represented to be included. This might include effecting change outside of your organization to create access for others, including effecting public policy or education, or other resources.

Lastly, leaders must act to influence the beliefs and actions of others. You will have people on your team who will resist change and believe that things are just fine. It is your responsibility to educate, train, inspire, motivate, and influence them to be more accepting and inclusive, and to adjust and adapt their behavior to do so.

Now how do you get all of this done?

Here are some practical actions you can take today, without spending any money at all (BUT be prepared to financially invest if your needs require it):

Step #1: Listen! Really listen.

Listening is a very powerful tool that is far too often ignored. This is an important time for leaders to stop talking and listen. Here are some things you should be listening for:

What are women in your organization saying?
What language is used in the organization?
How are people talking about gender and gender differences?
How are people asserting themselves?
How much time to women talk in meetings? And men talk in meetings?

Take the time to listen, gather information, and then use it to take action.

Step #2: Mentor and be a mentor

If you are in a field or industry that is predominantly male, than mentoring can be a powerful tool to create a path for women and others who are less represented. Research continues to show time and time again that mentoring makes a difference. It creates a pipeline for promotions, increases retention, and contributes to a greater talent pool. The majority of Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs because they understand the value it has for their company.

Create opportunities for mentoring within your organization. Take the time to learn more about mentoring and it can be a benefit to your team.

Step #3: Accept Difference, even when it’s hard to do

Organizations put a lot of pressure on their people to conform to a norm which helps everyone understand their environment, get along, and achieve common goals. However, it can also create an environment that mutes and silences creativity and diversity, which are necessary components of innovation and achievement.

Celebrate difference in sincere and more complex ways. An international potluck is fun, but it is not the most meaningful way to help people increase their sensitivity. Think of opportunities that are really going to help your team learn and reframe their mindsets. This might be the time when you invest in bringing in SME (Subject Matter Experts) to help your team increase their awareness.

Step #4: Talk, talk, and keep talking

It is a normal human tendency to rely on what we have in common and avoid those areas where we are different. But we have to be able to talk about difference, and to do it well with respect and curiosity. The keys to these conversations are an open mind, respect, and curiosity. Ask questions to learn and understand your differences, not to change or undermine others. Curiosity is a genuine desire to have more information. So start there and don’t be judgmental. Differences aren’t to be corrected, they are to be understood and accepted.

As a leader you don’t have to have all of the answers (and you usually don’t). Let your team educate you and others about who they are and what they need. That by very definition is inclusion.

So build on the momentum that has been created to make women’s parity and gender inclusion a reality within your organization. Think, listen, talk and act.

Please share any thoughts or comments below. And if you are looking to increase your own capacity as a leader, check this out www.leadershipabq.com

Be a Kind Leader

February 14, 2018 by Tamara 2 Comments

In 2018, February 17^th is Random Act of Kindness Day! It got me thinking about leadership, organizations, and kindness. More specifically, I thought about how can leaders like you practice kindness and cultivate cultures of kindness within your organizations.

In my workshops, leaders often tell me that they are “too kind”! They take on others responsibilities, work (unpaid) overtime, make up for others shortcomings, and ignore sources of conflict or dysfunction. That is not being “too kind”. That is a failure to set boundaries, make decisions, and address challenges head on. It isn’t kind to let people take advantage of you, or to let chaos persist. It is not kind to yourself or to others to behave that way.

So what does it mean to be a kind leader?

To be kind is to consider others, show goodwill, and to be helpful, humane and charitable. Here are four immediate actions you can take to lead and cultivate a culture within your organization that is kind:

#1 Make kindness a leadership value

Our leadership is informed by our values and beliefs. Make being kind one of your leadership values and lead from a place of kindness. To be kind is to consider others, show goodwill, and be helpful to those around you so proceed with #2.

#2 Practice kindness

Once you’ve made kindness a value in your leadership, you must practice and demonstrate that value. Here are just a few ways you can start practicing kindness today:

Listen more, and more deeply.
Make inclusive decisions, include others voices so you can consider the impact of decisions on everyone.
Let go of the little stuff! Like our family, we spend a lot of time with the people we work with and as a result we tend to be annoyed by the little things. Be willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and use your energy for more important things.
Support your team! Provide mentoring, coaching or training. Whatever they need to be the best version of themselves.

#3 Perform #randomactsofkindness

We can’t make grand gestures every day, but often there are smaller things we can do that feel special and show goodwill. Here are just a few ideas:

Bring donuts to the office (or any snack…everyone loves food).
Make the coffee or stock the office refrigerator.
Take a colleague to lunch or coffee.
Acknowledge a job well done
Say thank you. A LOT!!

#4 Advocate and support policies within your organization that are kind

Organizations struggle to recruit, retain, and engage their employees because they are not kind. When organizations are driven by the bottom line and not their people, they fail. Organizations must be more humane in their policies and practices. You can buy donuts every day but it won’t make a difference if your policies are not considerate, helpful or humane.

Here are just a few policies that you can support and advocate for:

Paid time off for volunteer work
Providing sponsorship or donations to a charitable cause
Fair and equal pay at all levels of your organization
Family leave policy and comprehensive health care options
Flex work schedules and reasonable annual leave

People will stay with organizations that are humane and able to demonstrate both in their practice and policy that they care and are kind.

Let #randomactofkindnessday inspire you to be a kind leader and to foster kindness within your organization, even if you aren’t the boss. Lead from where you are and make a difference by being more kind.

What about Gen Z? How to engage the next generation

January 11, 2018 by Tamara Leave a Comment

Gen Z’s are coming of age and beginning to enter the workforce. So the rumblings about Gen Z and how they will function in the workplace has already begun. But to my surprise, it isn’t Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who are expressing their concerns with me, it’s you. Millennials.

So I hear you. You are worried. They are so different from you and when you think about your little brother or sister, or neighbor kid coming to your place of work, it is hard to take them seriously. I get it. Because that is what others say about you.

The beauty of generational differences is that it is cyclical and many of us will experience the fears and doubts of those who came before us. Having doubts about the next generation has happened to every generation. It is part of growing up and distancing ourselves from the young. The good news is that we all have much more in common than we think we do.

But what could be the difference between your generation and those who came BEFORE you?

How you treat this next generation can make all of the difference in the world. Do you want Gen Z to experience the same type of backlash and exclusion that you experienced or do you want to do it better?

Do it better, of course.

Here are 3 Steps you can take today to ensure you are great leaders for the Gen Z:

#1 Take inventory

Many of you have experienced tension and bias in the workplace because of the negative attitudes about your generation. This is something you do NOT want to repeat so take an inventory of your experiences, and identify positive support you got that made a difference, and then what was lacking. You could even ask your friends, and together develop a comprehensive list of the type of experiences you want to provide to young talent entering your organization, and the type of experiences you want to avoid.

#2 Develop generational competence

One of the greatest challenges facing the workplace today isn’t your generation, but the fact that for the first time there are four and now up to five generations working together. This type of age diversity requires a specific set of attitudes, skills, and knowledge. Generational competence is the ability to communicate and behave effectively and appropriately in inter-GENERATIONAL situations based on one’s GENERATIONAL knowledge, skills, and attitudes. So do you develop generational competence?

Do some research, and learn more about what makes each generation different. The Center for Generational Kinetics has great resources.
Suspend judgment and keep an open mind. Bias is a natural process of your brain so we must be open and willing to challenge our own bias.
Ask questions and listen deeply to the next generation. Each generation brings a new set of values and perspectives to the workplace, understanding them is essential.

Taking these three steps will enable you to figure out the best way to bridge your differences and build on your similarities, and develop generational competence.

#3 Mentor

January is National Mentoring Month! And you know I am all about mentoring. It is essential to our growth and development so it is critical that we all pay it forward and mentor others. There is an abundance of research that validates that mentoring increases engagement, retention, and productivity. Whether you mentor informally or establish a formal mentoring program within your organization, everyone will benefit. It is valuable and affordable solution to bridging knowledge gaps within your organization, developing talent, and fostering inclusion. Read the white papers I’ve written about mentoring and see how easy it is to get started.

So if you want to be the generation that makes a difference than be different. Learn from the mistakes of those who came before you and do better. Learn from their mistakes, develop the right attitudes, skills and knowledge, and mentor the next generation and build your legacy every day.

10 Leadership Goals for 2018

December 15, 2017 by Tamara Leave a Comment

The time has come to say goodbye to 2017, and usher in 2018!

Every November, I sit down to evaluate the year and set goals for the new year. And I love it because I am able to figure out what worked and what didn’t, and set goals to make the next year my best ever. It is a time to let go, innovate, and dream.

This year, I’ve put together a list of 10 Leadership Goals to help you get it right in 2018. Remember to make your goals SMART, click here for a refresh on setting SMART goals. And keep in mind that these goals are guides, you can customize each one to your own leadership needs and wants.

Here are 10 goals to make 2018 your best year in leadership ever:

#1 Have a vision for 2018!

Before you tackle the details, conquer the big picture. Take time to think about what you want the New Year to look like for you, your leadership, your team, and organization. And dream. Dream big.

#2 Craft a shared vision with your team to build!

Once you have your own vision for the New Year, share it with your team, and work with them to include their visions and craft a shared vision. A shared vision will not only serve as a road map for you and your team, but it’ll also ensure you are all on the same page, and increase buy-in and engagement. Watch this short video for tips on crafting a shared vision with your team.

#3 Be accountable for the vision.

Set milestones and deadlines for what you want to accomplish so you can track your efforts along the way. It is essential to hold yourself and your team accountable for the vision you create together.

#4 Make time for reflection.

We are so driven by time and deadlines that we miss the benefits that come from reflection. Set aside at least 20 minutes, or even up to an hour, each week (or daily) to reflect. You can journal or just sit quietly to think about your work and leadership. Identify areas for growth and improvement, then brainstorm new ideas or solutions, or not. It is time to quiet the noise and give your brain the opportunity to relax, and for your body to breath.

#5 Listen more.

Listening is a skill that requires practice, and we don’t practice it enough. Most of the time we listen on a very superficial level, as a result we miss opportunities to learn from and connect with others. As a leader, listening can be an invaluable tool to building trust, resolving conflict, and generating solutions. Take stock of how much time you spend talking, and balance it out with an equal amount of listening time.

#6 Ask more questions.

Curiosity is another powerful tool at a leader’s disposal. Asking questions will ALWAYS give you more information, and information is power. Before you respond with your own perspective or solution, practice curiosity and ask questions.

#7 Spend 30 minutes/day learning.

There are an endless amount of resources available to you to develop your leadership. Invest time learning more about leadership and your industry. Commit time every day to reading relevant articles and/books, or watching videos that will help you do better, at least 30 minutes per day. To help you get started, I’ve included a few of my favorite books and videos:

My “Go To” books:

The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, Annie McKee
The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference by Macolm Gladwell
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey

My “Go To” Ted Talks:

10 ways to have a better conversation by Celeste Headlee (communication, curiosity, listening)

Everyday leadership by Drew Dudley (mentoring, impact)

How I harnessed the wind by William Kamkwamba (initiative, curiosity, resourcefulness)

The danger of a single story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Empathy, understanding, curiosity)

It is not a straight line by Tamara Thorpe (I’d be remiss not to include my own talk)

#8 Attend a relevant conference, workshop or seminar.

Attend a learning event that is going to help you elevate your leadership and career. There are a ton of opportunities to learn both online and face to face. Perhaps there is an event you’ve been meaning to go to but have put it off. Make it happen this year. Find a conference, workshop, or seminar that will help you develop your leadership, registration for Real Leadership Live will open in January 2018. Or you may also want to consider attending an event specific to your industry where you can hone your expertise and connect with your peers. Both are opportunities to grow and improve.

#9 Find a mentor.

Do you have a mentor? You may have several folks in your life that you rely on when you things come up, but have you considered a more formal mentoring relationship? That means connecting with a mentor on a regular basis, meeting weekly or monthly, and setting some specific goals for the mentoring relationship. This type of intentional and consistent mentoring can have a real positive impact on your leadership. So go out there and reach out to one or two of your mentors and ask them to formalize the mentoring relationship so you take your leadership to the next level.

#10 Be a mentor.

Pay it forward, be a mentor. Mentoring is a great opportunity to both pass on your own expertise and experience, and to also develop your own leadership. There is a lot to be learned from supporting others in their own growth so identify at least one person within or outside of your organization who you can mentor. Perhaps this person has already reached out to you, or comes to you for help. Contact them and ask them if they are interested in meeting on a regular basis, at least once a month, and then go enjoy, engage, empathize, encourage, learn, and grow.

There you have it!

10 goals to help you get it right in 2018. Remember to tailor these goals to your own needs and schedule. If you are looking for more support to be agile and responsive in 2018 then my Accelerator program can help OR if you need a push to kick start the next chapter in your career-check out the Kickstarter program.

Until then, I wish you all a very happy holiday and remarkable New Year.

8 Steps to be a More Agile Leader

November 20, 2017 by Tamara Leave a Comment

Last month, I went to the US to work and had a series of homecomings. The first was my trip to San Diego, where I had lived for more than ten years. It was followed by a trip back to my most recent US home, Albuquerque, NM. And the last stop was the return to my new home here in Dublin, Ireland.

On both trips to San Diego and Albuquerque, I reconnected with old friends, went to a few of my old haunts and hangouts, and ate at my favorite restaurants. I loved every minute of it. Being with people I have known for a long time and going back to places that were so familiar was comforting.

But at the same time, it is a bit unsettling to see how people and things have changed. As my trip progressed, I unexpectedly began to feel more connected to my new home in Dublin. Typically, going back “home” can make one feel homesick. But as I reconnected with my roots, I was simultaneously reminded of how much I have changed and how much more I want to learn and do.

Leadership is the same way. It is rooted in our earliest experiences when we discovered we were meant to lead, when we fumbled and made mistakes. Those early experiences keep us grounded, but there is still so much more to be learned and tackle, and quite frankly…to get right.

Leadership is a moving target, and just because you hit a bull’s eye once doesn’t mean you’ll be able to every time. As you grow and improve as a leader, you will still make mistakes, because people are complicated and targets move. So leaders must be agile and adept at flexing their style and approach to reach their goal, or hit that moving target. Research conducted by Columbia University Teacher’s College said agility is a critical leadership skill, and defined it as the ability to grow from mistakes, stay flexible and rise to various challenges.

Here are 8 steps you can take to be a more agile leader:

#1 Listen to others:

Listening is the most powerful and underutilized tool that leaders have at their disposal. Your team gives you a lot of information about their needs and wants, and they are also full of ideas and solutions. Take the time to listen deeply without inserting your own ideas, judgments, or solutions.

#2 Learn to read between the lines:

People don’t always say what they mean so leaders have to learn to read between the lines. Learn to recognize more subtle and nuanced messages being sent by others.

#3 Be curious and ask questions:

Leadership isn’t about having all of the answers; in fact, the best leaders know they don’t. Trust your team and create the space and freedom for them to come up with solutions. Approach challenges with curiosity and ask provoking questions, inspire and equip your team to problem solve.

#4 Consider alternate solutions:

Rarely is there ever one way to approach a challenge or solve a problem. A solution that worked for one may not work for another so be willing to flex and consider alternate solutions.

#5 Try something new:

Doing things as they have always been done can be a trap, it is easy to get stuck in what we know and have done before. Leaders who are agile are able to try and test new things, they embrace innovation and change, and ensure their team is equally able to innovate and change.

#6 Seek advice or counsel from a mentor:

Agile leaders must be committed to continual growth and learning, and mentors are powerful resources when you need to be pushed outside your comfort zone or challenge your own ways.

#7 Find the lesson in each mistake:

There are lessons to be learned from everything we do, even when we get it wrong. Agile leaders learn from their mistakes so when you screw up take the time to reflect and analyze. You have to own your mistake, and then move forward.

#8 Know where you want to grow and how you are going to do it:

Agile leaders have a vision and aspire for more. Have a list of what’s next and how you plan to achieve it. Then as soon as you conquer that, keep going.

You can start taking action towards each of these steps today. Some may take more time, practice, or resources than others but each is a worthy investment into your leadership. I say it all of the time, “Leadership is a journey, not a destination.” And the best leaders are committed to the journey.