Check-the-Box Leadership

Does your leadership style sometimes end up blurting out on you?

blurt (blûrt)

tr.v. blurt·ed, blurt·ing, blurts

To utter suddenly and impulsively

Check The Box

~ You went to the courses.

~ You learned about yourself and others.

~ You even brought it back to the team and taught a lunch-and-learn.

Voila. All done.

Check the box.

You’re a bona fide leader now. You have the certificate to prove it.

That was last Tuesday…

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Back to Reality

Now, your work has piled up, AGAIN. You have three people off sick, your own family have non – stop lessons, homework, you are trying to get to the gym and the car needs an oil change.

It’s time to forget about the course and the lunch-and-learn.  The fun relationship time, well – you don’t have time.

All you have time to do is ‘take charge’; get back in control. The list of tasks comes out and you start “managing.”

Do this. Do that.

They are not listening.

“My staff is really annoying me today.”

So, they get more ‘managing.’

Do some more of this.

Do some more of that.

Still not getting the results?

Or even worse, you did get the results, today.

Guess what they are up to tonight?

They are on the job site uploading their resume.

It’s the blurt band-aid. And it’s back.

• The blurt band-aid is what we come back to that is familiar.
• It is the old adage: “Old habits die-hard.”
• This is where your metal as a leader is tested.
• You can’t go back. You must only go forward.
• It is absolutely HARD to be a leader.
• It is exhausting at times.
• You have to think about what everyone needs.

Be Heard

So how does a leader balance all of their day-job stuff and still be there for all of the pesky needs of their teams?  It gets easy if you slow down and and try to gain some perspective. Think about what you need. Diagnosing where are they at and how you need to change and flex to be understood. You have to consider that the reason ‘they are not listening’ is because you haven’t earned to right to be heard.

You are not speaking their language, simply blurting.

There are so many great leadership concepts, books, courses, development pieces out there. but it is absolutely up to you to commit to finding the one that rips that band-aid off forever.

Study It, Practice It, Earn It

Becoming a leader isn’t a promotion but rather it is a skill set. You would not become a CA or a lawyer without study, development and practice.  This area of discipline comes with equal responsibility. One is to stop blurting and invest in your own development and awareness, your talent, your community and consider leadership just as you would a degree.

What are top strengths as a leader? What are the areas in which you may be blurting rather than leading? When did you last consider your leadership style and the match to each of those that you provide leadership to? Is it a mismatch? Why?  When did you last take charge of your own development and create a plan for yourself? I would love to hear your insights!

Related articles

• Leadership Principles (reachingyouth.wordpress.com)
• How to lead without trying? (leadershipfreak.wordpress.com)
• Leadership: Idealism vs. Realism (linked2leadership.com)