From Drama to Leadership
As we step more fully into 2021, what I always find going into my New Year is that I am still myself. This means that my hopes and dreams that carry into the year also come with my fears and my weaknesses. Facing that reality is a powerful movement forward because it allows me to see clearly to know what a next step can be.
Our personal drama, our professional drama, that can include so much from how we judge ourselves and others, the perceptions we carry, the avoidance of responsibility, to name a few, inhibit our ability to fully take our next step because we in essence, freeze ourselves in time.
In April, I will be offering The 3 Vital Questions Facilitated E-Learning Experience, a virtual small group experience to directly address our drama, and shift into a place of powerful choice to move forward on your life journey, professionally or personally. But, for the moment, let’s hear about a recent exchange.
In a panic, my client, Janice, shared the news that one of her colleagues had resigned. Janice was being asked to take on a majority of the responsibilities while the organization would hire for the remaining activities. She would get a slight raise (what she had been asking for in her current role) in addition to taking on greater numbers as the business was expanding. However, the role her boss was envisioning for her did not include the aspect of the job that most energized her.
What does it mean to step into your own personal leadership? What does that require? What clarity does one need to claim so that their actions are in alignment?
The career direction that we choose is the manifestation of the values we espouse. And, when I mean career, I am using it as the Webster Dictionary does “the course of action a person takes over a lifetime”. So, while for Janice she is looking at the professional aspect of her life. For others, it may be something else entirely, from their interactions with friends and family. to the volunteer activities in service of a cause. In the years that Janice had served in her role, she could both see the larger picture as well as how her skill set fit. And yet, she found herself caught up in the anxiety and fear of the problem as she interpreted it and the resulting drama. From her perspective, she felt that she was being held at the mercy of the unfolding events. She blamed her co-worker for leaving, her boss for not seeing her value, and the organization for continued growth.
The thought that “she did not have a choice” was taking up all the bandwidth in her mind. It brought up feelings of helplessness. She felt discounted for her passions and skills. Focusing on the problem created anxiety and anger inside Janice resulting in frustrating conversations with her boss. She found herself overwhelmed with her current responsibilities reducing her current effectiveness.
This is drama, or at least one person’s experience. What we also see in this experience is the cost of the drama – loss of self, increased stress, reduction of her effectiveness at work and increased strain to her working relationship with her boss, to name a few.
Leading in our lives requires reflection. A part of that reflection is identifying our values and how we want to actualize those in the world. It also requires an examination of where we are putting our focus. Simply put, are you focusing on problems or outcomes? The answer to this reveals how you see and operate in the world. Our human operating system, so to speak, is defaulted toward a problem mindset. And yet, and upgrade is also part of our reality.
As Janice stepped back and began to reflect on what outcome she wanted, her focus shifted. This shift resulted in a different sense of self and actions to take. This shift initiated a new beginning for her. Her upgraded mindset enables her to choose her response to the challenge she faces. By beginning a new journey as a creator in her own life, she stepped into her own self-leadership.
What about you? Where are you putting your focus?
If you would like to engage in upgrading your mindset, transform drama into empowered relationships, and create meaningful outcomes individually, in your teams, and your organization, The 3 Vital Questions Facilitated E-Learning Experience, begins March 31st. For further information, connect to https://www.freshwaterleadership.com/organizational-leadership-growth or reach out directly to jeannine@freshwaterleadership.com.
The 3 Vital Questions Facilitated E-Learning Experience
Beginning the last week in March, the facilitated sessions will be held on Wednesdays: 3/31, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, & 5/26, 6/9 from 7-8:30 EST.
It is an opportunity to, once again, learn in the company of others, while deepening the change within yourself. This blended approach allows for accountability, engagement, and learning. This class will be limited to 10 spaces so that each person receives quality interaction and maximum benefit.
It includes:
An e-Course with 8 units of content (completed in 30-45 minutes each) on an easy-to-use learning platform:
Over 18+ video presentations throughout the entire course.
Downloadable documents and infographics help you retain and easily revisit the concepts.
Exercises & assessments designed to help you review the material and implement it in your daily life.
A participant e-workbook, and
5 facilitated group conversations held throughout the 9-week period using the Zoom platform.