I was asked three times before I said yes to my first team leadership assignment.
I was new to working on the team, though I'd worked with the group before, so I knew many of the team members. The team had undergone some changes and was understaffed due to attrition. I was enjoying some juicy new challenges and was covering work that had previously been the purview of three people, so I was plenty busy.
At the time, I was surprised by the offer. In hindsight, it was a really smart move on my manager's part. We were working on a large, multi-year project, that had just passed a big milestone. It was a natural time for personnel shifts and new stretch assignments for many folks. I'd just joined team from another area to plug one of several gaps. Right out of the gate, I was covering work that had once been the purview of three people. I immediately clicked with a new-to-me colleague and after a couple of months they confided in me that they were extremely unhappy with the role they were filling at the time. They had previously been a member of my new team and so I asked if they interested in coming back. Their response was a resounding YES! They hadn't even considered that as an option until I brought it up but as soon as I suggested it, they knew that was exactly the right move for them. I reached out to my manager, who was thrilled at the idea. Shortly thereafter the transfer was done. The colleague was much happier, the team had been bolstered, and I'd upleveled in my manager's eyes.
My manager had the daunting task of rebuilding the team ahead of them so of course they wanted my help!
It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day activities and in doing so, sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture. The day I had the conversation with my colleague, I didn't pause to think about my motivations. In hindsight, I had several. A valuable team member that was miserable and on the brink of looking for a new job externally. I was able to offer them a role that not only appealed to them, but also put them back in their happy place. Our team was understaffed at the time and was on the lookout for team-players to fill in some gaps. And, selfishly, this person would be able to offload some duties from my plate - I was overtasked and barely holding things together until the team was staffed up.
As I grew on my leadership journey, I realized that pausing periodically to understand my leadership "why" is a useful tool. As leaders, we all have challenging days that make us question our life choices. I find that days like this completely turn around when I stop to ground myself in my "why". At times when nothing feels like it's going right, going back to my why inevitably reveals how I've strayed away from it and steps I need to take to course-correct are immediately clear. I've also found that my "why" has evolved over time:
- Early in my career, I jumped at opportunities to lead various efforts because they were a fun challenge for me. It didn't take long before I got the reputation for being the go-to person for taking on special projects. It was a great way feed my curiosity and thirst for learning.
- Later I sought leadership opportunities because I knew I would be better at them than the people previously filling those roles. Time after time I saw people making leadership decisions in a vacuum rather than making an effort to gather the pertinent facts. More than once I was on the clean-up crew. A frustrating position to be sure.
- After some time in people leadership, I realized that I have a gift for seeing the potential in my team members and encouraging them to take on stretch roles or try things the wouldn't have considered for themselves. My "why" shifted to empowering people to try new things and grow (a topic I wrote about a few months ago) . It's incredibly rewarding to have folks come back and thank me for believing in them when they had doubted themselves.
- Now I find myself driven by coaching and mentoring other leaders through the intense challenges and incredible rewards of leadership.
As people leaders, all manner of complicated situations arise when we least expect it. Throughout my leadership journey I've leaned on mentors and coaches to help me navigate the many nuanced aspects of leadership. I'm passionate about making sure people leaders have the resources they need to support their teams. It's to that end that I've created Larson Leader Lab, offering (Personal and) Team Leadership Coaching and Consulting. Please use the website to schedule a complimentary discovery call if you're interested in working with me.
Have you defined your leadership "why"? How often do you check in with your "why" to help ground you? How has your "why" evolved as you've grown on your leadership journey?
I'd love to hear from you. Please comment below or send me a note via the Connect section of the home page.
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