Maybe this just shows how weird I am. It also shows what I believe is the key to leadership. Here we go.
I got feedback from a client and it’s this one bit that I love the most:
“People and circumstances are less likely to set me on fire/piss me off. Some people should thank you because without this work they would have had an earful.”
Here’s the whole feedback about what they got from my program:
Learned how to be assertive and confident enough to drive my career, even in uncertainty, and that I might not get it in my current company.
How to not be reactive, but to think first: does this matter, am I the one to do this, or can I let it go?
People and circumstances less likely to set me on fire/piss me off. Some people should thank you because without this work they would have had an earful.
Created a buffer between me and the corporate bullshit.
Really like how you helped me realise certain truths.
Also took from this how to effectively take a step back and reflect.
Don’t think I could have done this without you, and definitely not so quickly.
So why do I love that one bit so much?
For one thing, it paints a vivid picture of their enhanced ability to be responsive: think and assess, then decide how to act. In an assertive way, with clear boundaries, and a clear agenda. And that’s the key to leadership: choosing how and when to act.
But mostly what I love is the realism of it. Our colleagues at work can frustrate us, offend us, bore us to death. Drive us crazy. Set us on fire.
And not reacting and getting pissed off is really hard.
And we do not make good useful decisions out of anger. And we definitely don’t win people onto our side when we are busy internally thinking how much they are pissing us off.
Now I know this person would not have been mean and aggressive, nor actually lost their sh*t at their colleagues. But their colleagues would feel it anyway. We always know when someone is mad at us. The clenched teeth tend to give it away.
So it makes me so happy to know that they’ve found a way to distance themselves from the corporate bullshit.
They’ve managed to keep a level head and act accordingly.
And that my friend is POWER.
And I am so happy for them that they have access to this power at the snap of their fingers.
This post is part of my special Coaching Tips Series. This series was inspired by my clients and the core themes in their challenges. When we can apply these tips, we bring a lot of ease into our lives and step into our leadership. Want to talk it through with me? Call me and let’s make a Game Plan together.