I probably watch too much sport, I love playing it too. Whatever sport it is I’ll find something in it that appeals to me. Sport has given me so much. It has shown me so much about myself and, more importantly to leadership, the capacity of every type of human when they are in the right environment.
I’ve recently discussed some of the things I used to help me choose between two very good job options. I realised that conversations and gut-feel were not going to be enough. I needed some evidence to support a decision, so I turned to Excel and geeked up my pros and cons list.
At the start of last year, I decided to do more of the things I like doing. To prioritise making time, while doing my core job, to making the workplace a little better for those that give so much of their time to attend and achieve there. So, I decided to embark on a cultural change program to shift the culture from one of mildly resentful attendance to one of fun and productive camaraderie.
How many times have you been in a meeting and someone pipes up and says, ‘Oh…. No, we can’t do that’? When you hear this, you are dealing with someone in the No Corridor. The most important thing you can learn how to do is fight against the No Corridor. The No Corridor is the killer of enthusiasm, productivity and creative culture. Just putting a name to it is oftentimes enough to defeat it.
I like going for runs, hanging out with friends, playing sport, and having really hot baths while watching Netflix. I like doing this even when I know that I should be spending time with my family. It often makes me feel selfish, but I’ve learned something very valuable, you need to be selfish if you want to be truly selfless
I have learned how to be selfless by being selfish.
Seven years ago, my boss got everyone to complete a DiSC profile. The whole organisation completed the questionnaire and then sat through a facilitated workshop. It was the most important thing I have done on my leadership journey. Just last week, I completed my second DiSC profile assessment, and when I got my results back, I felt like a failure.
I feel like I am always having conversations about bravery and control. These conversations happen outside of my head, but many happen inside it too. I have to continually remind myself that discomfort is the path to growth, and it takes bravery and courage to step into discomfort, to relinquish control. I seem to be promoting that you can’t have bravery and control — you need to pick one.
Later in life you start to become more comfortable shedding your social programming, you can begin to own your identity. This is the version of you that you prefer. Not the one that matches other people’s expectations of you.
I have learned that with the right person, love does feel easy. There will be periods when it gets harder. The crush of stuff is difficult to navigate. But if you feel like you are drifting, realize that you now have some tools to take control of your journey and set it up for success. I have learned that because of this purposefulness, loving is made easy.
The weird thing about working at your peak is that it doesn’t occur when you know everything. If you want to do your best work, you have to be learning something new. There is a reason for this; you are engaging a different part of your brain. This is why the new people to the organisation are so valuable.