courage to Lead, Part 2
Last month we shared the story of Henry, who’d just taken on a new and significantly expanded role within his organization. In his expansion, doubt, insecurity, and one courageous decision lead him to a new way of doing business.
Here’s the second installment of “Courage to Lead, Part 2”.
Permission to Lead
While Henry was getting comfortable with the uncomfortable (i.e. the inherent not knowing of being in brand new territory), he saw something even more subtle that was getting in his way—erosive thoughts like:
Do I really know what I’m doing?
Why me in this role?
Do I have what it takes to lead at this level?
In our coaching, Henry realized that he had to make a bold move, and give himself permission—to LEAD. His aha went something like this…
“Wait a minute! I took the role. I already said yes.
This is my role now—and it’s up to me to do it the way I see fit.
From now on, the buck stops with me.”
He saw that without clear inner permission, a form of self-doubt, blame and back-channeling was creeping into his thinking and conversations. Then and there he decided to own his decisions, embody his role and lead.
His new message to the team:
We own our choices and the results that are created
The only place to look for improvements is within; we also own the quality of our communications with others
Courage to Hold the Vision
Once he’d given himself full permission, he organically connected to a bigger vision for his department. He saw that his true role was to break down silos within the department and bring together subject matter experts in a more cross-functional, collaborative and cross-pollinating way.
Not everyone was on board. And it didn’t matter. Because the buck did stop with him, Henry simply continued to speak to the vision he had for the department at large:
We don’t silo here
Let’s connect with others and hear them out
Together we’re an ecosystem, we take full responsibility for the health of the team
Deciding that it was his job to hold the vision for his people, he was able to navigate tough conversations with clarity, neutrality and an open listening ear. Continually bringing people back to the vision at large, even in the face of resistance to change.
The Shift
Over time, Henry’s leadership style—clear yet invitational—earned him trust, and the culture of the department transformed. His leadership began to inspire other people to follow, not because they liked Henry—because they saw the vision right alongside him. They, too, were able to articulate the vision, within themselves, for their teams and so on.
Transformation always begins with one courageous choice—to give oneself full permission. For Henry, once that choice was made the floodgates of possibility flew wide open.
Dear reader, if you gave yourself 100% permission to lead—what would occur in your world?
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