There are two ways to start the new year as a leader:
- Overwhelmed by what you can’t do
- Motivated by what you can do
Which path will you choose?
The Call I’ll Never Forget
There is one coaching call I will never forget. At the time, I was working with an executive leader of a large company. She was faced with a myriad of challenges.
- Teams had been merged under her leadership
- Some people weren’t meeting sales goals
- Turnover had increased likely due to the many transitions the company was going through for growth
To top it all off, she was under tremendous pressure and scrutiny from top leaders of the company to turn that division around because she had a track record of out performing her peers so of course she could handle this and more!
Even one of the issues she faced might have been enough for many leaders to just check-out or give up.
But during a coaching call where we were talking through the various situations and prioritizing them, I asked her, “How do you find the strength to get up each day, have a positive outlook on the situation and continue to show up with the goal of moving forward?”
I’ll never forget what she said:
“Anne, Leaders Show Up.”
She explained that when she accepted this role, she didn’t expect it to be easy (of course a little easier than it was at the present moment!), but she knew that in accepting the role as leader she would need to show up when she didn’t want to, when faced with challenges, when events seemed overwhelming, when she couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.
She told me that this was her guiding principle every day because if she didn’t show up – how could she expect others to.
The Trap of Overwhelm
Becoming overwhelmed by what you can’t do is easy to fall into.
The list is long for leaders. There are – and always will be – challenges and obstacles that come with leadership…
- You’re in charge of managing change, but many people can be resistant to change.
- The pressure to make the “right” decision for your team can feel heavy.
- Your calendar is full of “important” meetings, leaving you no time to get ahead on your to-do list.
- The to-do list is never ending and makes you feel like you’re just spinning your wheels.
- External factors outside of your control inhibit you from leading the way you planned.
Can you relate?
Overwhelm holds back leaders from building high performing teams. Leaders who become overwhelmed often shut down, removing themselves from active leadership under the pressures around them and doing the minimum just to get through the day.
You don’t have to lead this way. It’s time to escape the trap of overwhelm and lead from a different position.
The Path to Great
The second way – to look at all of your responsibilities and become motivated by what you can do – requires resiliency.
The past few years have been challenging for many leaders. Every level of leadership and in all industries have been managing constant change and facing uncertainty all while trying to guide their teams and ensure everything runs smoothly.
These are the times that true resilience is tested—how can leaders show up every single day at their best so that their teams can reach their full potential?
The leader shows up and chooses resilience.
Resiliency as a leader looks like:
- Intentionally focusing on opportunities in the midst of challenges or obstacles.
- Accepting, adapting, adjusting and continuing to move forward, again and again.
- Showing up for your people even when change is challenging.
When leaders follow these steps, they will remain engaged and establish their leadership voice – two vital components to leading your team well! Resilient leaders understand, communicate and execute their plan regardless of the obstacle, because they know that the obstacle is not the end, it’s only a redirection along the way.
Every new year brings changes – ones set by you internally and others set externally – that will impact your team.
Many will choose the first way and will get stuck in the overwhelm.
I challenge you to choose the second way and grow through resiliency because –
Leaders show up.
What are your leadership goals for 2025? Let’s talk about how to reach them! Click here to learn more about leadership coaching with Anne Laguzza.
