This month we are highlighting several competencies that have become more important in our evolving workplace. Last week the focus was on the value of flexibility. Today we’ll look at personal accountability.
Do you answer for your personal actions? Unfortunately, this is becoming rarer in the workplace. People are quick to blame others and slow to take responsibility for what they did or didn’t do.
Leaders develop proficiency from a lifetime of experiences. Many of these experiences occur initially upon becoming subject matter experts, such as IT technician, tax attorney, or financial advisor, to name a few.
Your leadership expertise develops as an outgrowth of these experiences. Keep in mind, though, that most people are not trained in what it is to be a leader. Many stumble into leadership and do what they think they are supposed to do in this new role.
Periodically I write about self-awareness and based on some recent experiences and conversations, it seemed like a good time to revisit the topic.
Self-awareness is the ability to identify your moods, what you’re feeling, and how they have an impact on those you interact with. Self-aware people are also more in touch with what motivates them and what they want.
Do you ever feel like a crazy lunatic as you try to accomplish way too many things at once? Of course, you have! Not only do you experience this, but everyone has a different “lunatic pace.” Your threshold may have more or less elasticity than someone you work with closely.
I’ve found that people pick up their pace when they are working with someone who zooms through the day, even though it may be hard to keep up. These are critical moments, because when you constantly try to pace yourself at what is an unnaturally rapid clip for you, you will inevitably miss things.
“Focus and simplicity…once you get there,
you can move mountains.”
– Steve Jobs
It almost seems counterproductive to think that simplifying can make a difference in achieving the results you desire. Instead, we tend to overly complicate things. If we add this embellishment or that (time intensive) detail, we think the outcome will be so much better.
Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. is just around the corner and I’d like to acknowledge the spirit of the holiday by paying tribute to the men and women who died while serving in the military.
Unlike last year when many of us were locked down due to the pandemic, this year most people have the ability to actually have an almost “normal” holiday. Gatherings of friends and family with accompanying barbeques are on many families’ agendas.
Good leaders know the importance of being present and listening well. Over the past year, these attributes have been further challenged since we haven’t been face-to-face. And the big change came when most conversations and meetings morphed into video.
We talk of “Zoom fatigue” as a general term applying to all video encounters. This is a real syndrome and it has multiple facets. For one thing, we’re staring at others on screen, which is looking at pixels which becoming tiring. It’s also not “normal” to be looking at everyone – and yourself – all the time, which would not be happening if we were in person or on a teleconference.
It’s that time of the year when people make resolutions with the best of intentions for the year ahead. If you do this, good for you! If you can’t quite get to resolutions, though, there are other ways to reflect on the past and envision the future.
2020 has likely been among the most challenging you have experienced. Throughout the year, you’ve undoubtedly learned more about yourself than in other years. As such, you know more about what you’re willing to tolerate.
We’ve all heard the expression that laughter is the best medicine. This may be more important than ever in our current environment. When tension builds, your sense of humor can be a lifesaver.
The benefits of humor are being extolled by more than psychologists. Last year, for example, the World Economic Forum published a paper on why a sense of humor is an essential life skill. Humor can greatly improve your quality of life, which does not differentiate work vs. leisure time.
An uplifting article appeared recently in The Washington Post. An elderly resident of an assisted living facility had been religiously watching exercise classes held on the roof of a gym across the street from her. When the gym found out, they painted her a mural.
This story made me think about who’s paying attention. What are you doing in your daily routine that someone might be watching? And, if someone is watching, what are they seeing?