I believe in Leadership Development and I have dedicated my career to learning about leadership and helping others become great leaders. I developed a leadership competency model many moons ago and have found and kept a library of competencies accordingly. In March 2018, I decided to start sharing my library online. The same narrative is shared on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Each month, a blog post just like this one will be created housing all the random social media posts from that month. I hope you find it insightful and valuable as you work towards effective and successful leadership. (If the competency is underlined, some tips are on video!)
September 4: Work Life Balance
An individual excelling at this knows how to compartmentalize but ALSO knows when to be flexible. He/she gets fulfillment out of both work and life activities and, therefore, doesn’t unreasonably depend upon one of them for fulfillment, satisfaction, joy, etc. He/she models this type of balance for the team.
Someone who is “overdoing it” can’t be flexible – they are so keen on compartmentalizing that they never make exceptions. This is unreasonable, as our life relies upon exceptions in this regard. Leaders who overdo this competency aren’t modeling balance for their teams and, instead, of influencing an unhealthy way of life.
Someone who doesn’t care about balance and/or hasn’t developed the competency is pulled both ways, and everyone knows it. They often appear flustered or overwhelmed, and they have a tendency to overreact or dramatize too many things. The highs and lows in one side of their life often seep into the other, and their failure to model healthy behavior leads their teams uneasy and confused.
I have struggled with this competency and, indeed, my life suffered on both sides. I have the luxury of hindsight so if you’re new to leadership, may I suggest that you learn from a seasoned professional who found the right balance?
September 19: Perseverance
September 25: Time Management
Leaders who have mastered this use their own time effectively and exercise enough self discipline to stick to their plan! Likewise, they can organize their day/week/month in such ways that they can easily manage what is outside of their control too such as interruptions, others’ fires/needs, etc.
Leaders who overdo this can come across as being too rigid or stubborn with their time, which sometimes has the result of people thinking they are selfish. EGADS! Also, these folks have a tendency to rush things, which doesn’t allow the parties to build rapport, flush out an idea, etc.
Leaders who haven’t quite mastered this competency appear to be ping-ponging throughout the day. They don’t schedule or organize their day, so they have no choice but to react to everything. There is very little planning, so there is even less follow through.
We are all given the same amount of time in any given day – I think the trick is disciplining ourselves to organize what is important, stick to it, and then enjoy and/or make the rest of the time fulfilling. Right? Doesn’t it seem easy?
