We were meeting to review the launch of EOS® (Entrepreneurial Operating System®) with her team, when one comment stuck with me:
Scott, one of the things you did extremely effectively was to bring in analogies around leadership and planning that relate back to being a parent. We are all parents, and that helped us see how our experiences as parents are actually building blocks for us as leaders.
I was glad to hear that, because that is a core message of mine and she listened!
It is also a passion of mine to help people see themselves leading in all aspects of their lives. In my work with hundreds of leaders, too often I see them compartmentalizing their learning to one aspect of their lives, and missing the chance to apply it to all areas of their lives.
Another recent reinforcement of this was during a check-in with a leadership program I lead. When asked to share one way in which they applied a learning since the last time we met, a leader shared – with a significant amount of surprise and some timidness – that “the active listening learning actually helped me at home in some situations I was working through with my teenage daughter.” My response? Grateful! Grateful this person was strong enough to share a non-work and personal experience to remind us all that we lead in all aspects of our lives.
Do you see yourself leading in all aspects of your life? Here are three questions to help you reflect and learn from your own experiences:
- In what part of your life are you being most challenged to lead and it is not going well?
- In what part of your life is your ‘leading’ going well?
- How can you apply what you have learned in #2 to have more success in the area you defined in #1?
I face the same challenge everyday, too. One tool I have used to help me see my ‘whole life’ as my leadership canvas is the Wheel of Life exercise, which is a foundation for coaching. If you want to explore this, download it and follow the directions.
More to come on lessons I have learned in one area of my life and how they apply to leading in others. . .
Lead well!