Got Permission? courage to Lead, Part 1
You said yes to the promotion.
You’ve stepped into an expanded role, your team doubles and responsibility grows.
And suddenly you find yourself in unknown territory:
You’re no longer the subject matter expert, you’re the one responsible for the SME and their output
You may be clear on the “what” of the business, yet you’re not as clear on the “how”
Your new role creates more exposure, people are watching and waiting for you to lead
This is what happened to my client—who I’ll call Henry. Upon stepping into his new role, Henry found himself in a completely new terrain. And his insecurities began to bubble up. However, in my world, none of this is surprising.
“When we try something new,
doubt is sure to ensue.”
Overnight, Henry’s group quadrupled. The teams he was responsible for doubled and the number of people reporting to him directly went from 6 to 12. He suddenly found himself responsible for areas where he wasn’t the subject matter expert. He felt the discomfort and bewilderment of not knowing it all—AND he realized something important about his leadership. Doubt is a part of leadership. It’s okay.
It was time for him to call deep on his courage to:
Not have all the answers, and say so
Ask a lot of questions, from a place of not knowing
Give yourself PERMISSION to lead, own the role
Permission to Lead
While Henry was getting comfortable with not knowing, what showed up next was very new for him, and was at the heart of what was getting in his way:
Do I really know what I’m doing?
Why me?
Do I have what it takes to lead at this level?
Henry had to give himself permission—to LEAD. After a particularly deep session, Henry had an aha, and made a decision…
“Wait a minute! I took the role. I said yes. This is my role now.
And I get to choose how I’ll do it. The buck stops with me.”
From that moment forward, how he played the game of leadership changed. Stay tuned for Part II to hear what happened.
Dear reader, what’s inspiring you about Henry’s story? And what courageous act will you grant yourself the permission to take?
Do share.
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