As we enter the final weeks of spring and anticipate the summer season, I want to discuss a few helpful leadership lessons. Let’s call this post a leadership tune-up, complete with nuggets of knowledge to help you achieve your goals:
- Fix your roof before it rains. It’s a lesson we learned throughout the pandemic. Our businesses fundamentally changed during COVID-19, and the businesses that survived the unexpected were those with leaders who truly planned for anything. There’s no question it will rain, but it’s about having that solid roof above your head—made from the right materials, constructed the right way—so you can weather any storm. When I was a junior at San Jose State, I remember my professor, Dr. Pete Zidnak, would start his business class with the quote of the day. That Ben Franklin quote—“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”—as among those he gave to our class. Even now, years later, it still means so much to me.
- Be open and flexible to change. Transformational change is a big part of leadership, and it happens not just with your initiatives, but also within your mind. If you have a fixed mindset, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten because you’ll do what you’ve always done. When you’re nimble and flexible and open to change, you have a growth mindset that is strengthened by focus and a commitment to complete the hard work.
- Don’t contemplate whether you will get it done, just believe in the fact that you WILL get it done. As Yoda said, “do or do not—there is no try.” Of course, a healthy view of failure is necessary because not everything in business is going to go your way. And you don’t have to fight every battle, but the battles you choose must win the war. Also, harping on the obstacles standing in the way of getting things done will not contribute to a strong mindset. Instead, it will weaken your chances of getting the task done. The only thing that’s impossible is the thing you never do.
- Remember that fear is a figment of your imagination. The Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” Fear is all in your mind. First, because we imagine all the possibilities of a situation before they even happen. Many people who fear public speaking are nervous backstage before they step foot on the stage. Second, as human beings, we tend to cling to our fears like safety blankets. We can’t do this, we can’t do that because we are afraid, and so fear becomes the excuse, and nothing becomes the result. If we remove the fear and say to ourselves, “I acknowledge this feeling, but I will not let it stop me,” then we also remove the thing blocking our way. That is how we find ourselves in the realm of limitless possibilities.
- Discover your zone of genius. There are four zones that a given person’s professional performance can fall into: zone of incompetence, zone of competence, zone of excellence and zone of genius. Let’s focus on the last one—the zone of genius. What is it? You know it when you experience it. Your zone of genius encompasses all that you are uniquely good at, and not just good at, but also love to do. Everyone’s zone of genius is different, and that’s what makes people unique. As Albert Einstein once said, “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Identify what your zone of genius is, and structure your business around using it as your competitive advantage and professional differentiator.
- Vince Lombardi said fatigue makes cowards of us all. You must recharge. For me, when things start to fall through the cracks, I get annoyed, and that’s when I know it’s time to step back, take a break and recharge so I can be the best leader for my team and those around me. Whenever I’m feeling tired or fatigued, I know I need to do something that motivates me to come back refreshed and ready to go.
So, what’s the message? This week, spend a little time to check in on yourself. Are you facing your fears? Are you operating in your zone of genius? Are you taking time to recharge? Are you putting plans in place? Are you pushing past uncertainty to make the impossible possible? The answers to these questions should be “yes,” because when you are doing all these things, you’ll be helping not only yourself as a leader, but also everyone around you.
This article is adapted from Blefari’s weekly, company-wide “Thoughts on Leadership” column from HomeServices of America.
