Unlocking Leadership Growth: Five Practices That Transformed My Journey - Basically Jedi Training.
TLDR: 5 practices instrumental in my development as a leader: therapy, meditation, journaling, exercise, and self-reflection. It's all part of Jedi Mind training which is cooler than it sounds.
When I started my leadership journey, I wished I had access to more models and guidance. My first experience as a creative director for a large team involved firing the entire team and rebuilding it from scratch. Although I managed to do it well, I felt that I lacked some necessary skills at the time, especially at the age of 30. Over the years, I have made both good and bad decisions as a leader, which is just part of the journey. As I reflect on my evolution as a leader at the age of 54, I have identified five tools, resources, or practices that have helped me grow as a leader and enabled me to accomplish challenging tasks and create wonderful things.
Basically, Jedi Mind Training - or Five Practices That Continually Add Growth to My Leadership
Therapy. When I mention going to therapy, especially here in the South, it is often met with polite smiles or eye-rolls, but it has been the single factor in rebuilding my path in leadership. We have to be able to deal with our own shit to deal with other people. It's just the facts of it, and if we are carrying our own trauma, dysfunction, or just lacking the skills we need to self-regulate, we need to dive into that work. The bonus is having an outside person who can process the ridiculousness you encounter and help build communication and coping skills to see things in perspective. Your therapist, ideally, doesn't live in your community or isn't part of your sphere, allowing you to vent with abandon to someone not invested in anything but you. That alone is worth investing in the time and energy it takes to find and commit to your own healing.
Meditation. This is another tool that brings eye rolls or excuses that there isn't time or it doesn't work for them. Let's not call it meditation; we can call it training the mind. We are preparing the mind to stay centered and understand that thoughts and feelings flash through us at the speed of a roaring river, and they don't last - which means we don't have to get caught up in them. That training makes you a badass warrior of good, and if that doesn't convince you, try it for yourself. I use Headspace to meditate every morning. It's beautifully designed. Easy and doesn't take forever. Here's a free 30-day Guest Pass.
Journaling. Pick up a notebook or phone and blur out everything in your mind for five minutes. No one will read it. You won't read it. This act is all about the process. I think of this journaling as the car wash of the mind - it cleans out the stuck gunk and allows for freshness. You don't have to make this a significant practice. Just fill one page. Then, the next day, fill in another page. Slowly, your brain will begin to find a rhythm to itself, and you will see patterns develop, you will know what you are worried about, and you will solve problems. It's magic what happens over time with journaling. For all of my stationary-loving friends, don't get bogged down on the book you buy being so lovely you can't possibly write drivel. I use a .99¢ composition book because it has zero value, is nostalgic, and is easy to get. Plus, it can't be ruined with what I write because it isn't fancy.
Exercise. I am a new convert to exercise. I don't love it. I didn't get that gene, and I never understood the fuss, but nothing changes my mood or how I think about things other than working out. As leaders, we are often in our heads, which is excellent, but we need to get out of our heads to explore options and make better decisions, and nothing does that like exercising. It can be a full sweat workout or get out of your chair and take a 10-minute walk. Obviously, there are health benefits, but the overall effect of lowering blood pressure, feeling more physically flexible and stronger, and having more balance carries you into meetings and conversations.
Self Reflection. I was stunned last week when I was reading a paper on leadership that asked participants if they self-reflect, and the answer for most was no; they did not have a practice of reflection. What does self-reflection look like? It can be as easy as asking ourselves at the end of the day what went right, what we could have done better, and how we want to prepare for tomorrow. You can do it at the end of the week or monthly, but I would recommend a daily practice. Just ask yourself what you did right. For the most part, the leaders I know are so hard on themselves with what went wrong and how they could do better that they are missing the lights they are leaving behind them. Just making a list of what went well that day - even if it's the smallest of interactions - will begin to prep your subsequent actions.
None of this works alone, and it's a lifestyle - developing the practices to grow as leaders. The idea that we must rise from the inside instead of layering on another productivity tool or workshop sounds revolutionary. If organizations invest in these skills - if you invest in these skills - actual leadership development can happen.
Tell me about your leadership journey? Do you incorporate any of these practices into your life? What has made the difference for you? I have a zillion stories of what I did wrong in the past. I'll share some in the future... there are some real doozies!
Speaking/Facilitation - I'm booking for summer and fall facilitation and speaking projects. I've been asked by several groups to do group goal-setting for teams. If that is something your team could benefit from, let me know.
Paintings - I watched this fantastic YouTube video with Sandi Hester about value in color. Whoa. Developing value in painting is a real secret sauce. I'm on that path right now. You can follow along on Instagram Stories.
Sharing - It's the New Moon today, and in our bioregion, I am planning sugar snap peas and snow peas today. I'll be planting potatoes and onions on St. Patrick's Day. Did you know that the planting zones have changed because of global warming? Go check yours.