Over the past 15 years, I have worked as a Chiropractor and hear all kinds of excuses for missing an appointment. The most common reason is lack of time. On the other end of the spectrum, some patients are waiting for me in the parking lot like clockwork each Monday morning. For some women, certain behaviors are non-negotiable. Here is how leading women exercise leadership on their time.
Get Rid Of Elimination Behavior
The patterns that drive leadership on a day to day basis are a choice. Susan Im, founder and creative director of the skincare line ATEM doesn’t need to go far to find ways to learn each day. “If I am in the subway, I observe people and I read all the ads that are rotated around; from these, I learn about culture, human behavior, and copywriting. At the deli and cafes I frequent to pick up breakfast, I learn about the operations and the nature of businesses different from mine, about business to customer interactions and conflict resolution of the most humble kind. The world is your teacher” says Im. Rather than be quick to cancel a meeting or an appointment Im says “I make an effort to learn something new from every conversation or encounter I have with anyone that crosses my path”.
Your Energy Needs Strategy
Your output can either make you money or not, and there are grey areas when it comes to growth behaviors. A leader works to understand the consequences of empty tasks vs. success tasks. Valerie Brantley CEO of Trifecta Management breaks it down, “I prioritize strategy vs. tactics (or activities) when my administrator builds my calendar each day. The focus is on the choices that will move the needle. This enables me as a leader to expend the most energy and time against enabling the core strategies that will deliver my annual goals. I build time into my calendar to work on the big strategic goals consistently.”
Don’t Emphasize Formal Meetings
When working with a team, there may be times where a spontaneous meeting will happen – take ownership right away. Emily Walker, the founder of Modern Leaders Collective, encourages women to give themselves permission to show up uncurated, which in turn empowers a team of people to do the same. Walker explains, “Often when we are stepping into our roles as leaders, we feel like we need to have it all together and show up perfectly to lead our people. I have found that the moments that have been most impactful for my people have been when I show up as my imperfect self and say hey, I’m not miles ahead of you calling for you to catch up, I’m right here in the trenches with you and we can do this together”.
The common ground with these women is the intent that is linked to each act. Have a clear understanding of what shifts you want to create, and this will keep your leadership muscle twitching. Follow me @drrubinatahir