People want to grow. People want to do well. They want to do bigger things.
As a leader, you are there to help your people grow. You are there to lift them up, not to bring them down.
If your people are not doing well, work with them, not against them. Be real with them. According to Sylvia Lafair, ‘When one person is willing to be authentic, he or she gives space for others to risk telling their truth also.’
Work with your people, not against. Why is that? Because ‘system thinking makes everyone accountable, and there is no one person to blame.’
Focus on what is not working for you and your people. Improve what is not working. And do more of what is working. Because ‘by taking the time to understand and work on patterns, you open yourself up to opportunities and ways of being that you never considered before.’
‘You achieve freedom when you take conscious responsibility to individuate, both on a personal and on a professional level.’
Don’t forget your culture. As a leader, you are responsible for creating a better place for your people to work. ‘Organizations benefit when they examine their entire culture to understand and address the source of dysfunction with an enlightened, compassionate approach.’
Don’t ignore yourself. What do I mean by that? When you ignore yourself, you ignore your inner self. Your inner voice is your inner master. Why is it important to listen to your inner voice? According to Sylvia, ‘Listening to your inner voice gives you power over repeating thoughts. Once you become comfortable with this part of yourself, you can begin to ask yourself different kinds of questions, breakthrough questions that will lead to new and innovative ‘aha’ ideas.’
Open your mind to new opportunities. To do that, you must be willing to learn new things. ‘Being open to learning about yourself at work can increase your overall skill base as well as your creativity.’
Remember, to fix what you are going through in your life, you must revisit where you are coming from- your past. When it comes to growth, ‘the best, most fruitful thing we can do is tackle our past head-on, grapple with it, and finally accept it.’
Accept yourself. When you accept yourself as you are, only then can you accept what you are doing- your work. ‘You become whole by owning the parts of yourself you would rather ignore.’
Accept what is not working for you. Don’t sweep it under your rug. It is only when you face what you are struggling with that you can do something about it. ‘Once you claim the healthy opposite of your outmoded patterns, you can develop an action plan that is accurate and effective.’
‘Listen more than you talk. ‘To develop new ways of listening and responding means thinking systematically, asking probing questions, and sharing your observations.’
Source
Sylvia Lafair (2009). Don’t Bring It To Work: Breaking the Family Patterns that Limit Success
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