Welcome to Week 34 of the Authenticity@Work Leadership Tool-kit! My intention for this series is to share a quick tool each week to help you lead with more authenticity, adaptability and inspiration so we can together create workplaces where we bring the best of ourselves and inspire others. So grab a journal and an accountability partner to make these practices even more powerful for you!
In last week’s post we discussed giving everyone an “A” and looking at each person’s unique contributions.
Just like accepting people as they are is useful for us, so is giving every situation an A. It is simply accepting the situation for what it is. Giving every situation an A doesn’t mean you necessarily have to like it. By accepting rather than fighting, you’re more open to find the opportunity or the learning in the situation. It’s looking at what’s in front of you right now and getting curious. “What is there to appreciate here? What do I want to create from here?” We decide we can create something from it. We decide we can learn something from it. We decide we are in charge of our response to what’s happening rather than lamenting what should be.
Leaders who take this stance are able to adapt faster to what is happening in our high-change, high-churn environment. There is less stress, less blame, and less defensiveness, all of which take away the positive energy and engagement in an organization. There is more energy focused on learning and on looking for the opportunities for what can be created from where we are. There is faster moving forward. We choose adaptability over remaining stuck as a victim to circumstance.
This Week’s Tool:
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What is a current work or life situation that I am resisting?
- Which saboteur (link to Week 17) may be present and what behaviors is this saboteur causing?
- What is the cost to me and others of not giving this situation an A?
- What allies (link to Week 17) will I choose instead? What new behaviors become available?
- Where is the opportunity to be created or the learning and new behaviors I am committing to?
This exercise will be useful to share with an accountability partner or trusted mentor or friend.
Get the latest resources for Authenticity@Work (this tab will get updated with all kinds of cool resources). Curious to know more about the book? Read the reviews about Wired for Authenticity here.
