Can work make you sick?
Sixteen years ago I found myself in A&E. My vision was blurred. I couldn’t focus or control my eye movements.
What followed changed my life and my approach to leadership forever. It was frightening and hard and still takes effort every day, but I think it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
I\’m sharing this now, not to scare you into taking a break, but to ask what more we could all achieve if we all took care of ourselves too?
In June 2021 I left my job to set up on my own. 😳
Here are a few reflections on the learning so far:
🪂Start broad: investigate all your options
🫂Don\’t go it alone: build and find networks to support you
🎮You decide: don\’t worry about doing things wrong, chart your own course
🌱Make space for growth: others might see things in you that you don\’t see yourself, and
❤️🔥Be audacious and brave: repeat after me, I am someone who can do this
If you\’re about to do something that\’s going to be scary and take courage, then this one\’s for you.
We had two hours to go until the announcement and something went wrong.
The pressure had already been intense since the election and now it felt like we had failed.
Some of us thrive on this sort of pressure, but how do we make sure it doesn\’t take its toll?
Some suggestions here on leading yourself and your team through intense times:
🗣️Talk about what\’s coming, what you can do to build resilience and how you will know who needs support and when.
⛔Don\’t throw out the baby with the bathwater – even if some of your usual boundaries get broken, set new ones and be held accountable.
🔬Step out of the drama and keep things in perspective. You will live to fight another day.
⌛Be careful not to stay in perpetual overdrive. Make sure it ends and don\’t equate being under pressure with being worthwhile.
What works for you?
I feel a bit nervous about sharing this.
Because I might be wrong.
But I\’ve decided to take my own medicine, and start with courage, not confidence.
So, is leadership in the public sector that different to elsewhere?
I share some reflections here on the differences I\’ve experienced:
🌍 The scope and scale of the things you\’re responsible for
🎬 The peculiar drama of leading within a political system
🤔 The complexity of the problems you\’re trying to solve
🥇 And the struggle to prioritise when you need to serve everyone
I would love to hear your thoughts, experiences and challenges on this 🙏.
Delivery is hard. Especially when it comes to making a difference to the lives of others.
🤔 Best practice doesn’t always translate from one context to another
😑 Legislation and guidance is rarely enough to change behaviour
😥 And that\’s before you even get to those who would rather talk about problems than solutions
So how can we Lead for Impact?
A few thoughts here from my experience and from the coaching conversations I have with leaders who are striving to do just that.
Top take-away? Find spaces to share your uncertainties and mistakes.
How much do you know about what\’s going on in your organisation? What assumptions are you making? A few thoughts here on getting out and about to stay connected and solve problems.
Last year I started to share my top ten leadership coaching themes from 2023. Here are the final five 🥁:
💪Courage, not confidence.
❓Questions, not advice.
📖The stories we tell ourselves.
🎬Getting out of the drama
💉Immunity to change.
What\’s your biggest take-away from last year?
We\’ve only been back for three weeks but it\’s felt like three months. There\’s so much to do…\”
It\’s been a \”full on\” start to the year. Lots of excitement, but anxiety too.
So I\’m inviting you to pause for a moment to reflect:
🏃♀️How are you pacing yourself?
🤗 What are you taking care of?
🔁Will January on repeat will give you the year you want?
And if not, how might coaching help? 🤝
2023 Top Hits: the themes and learning that resonated most for me and the amazing leaders I work with this year.
🤔Something is a bit… off.
🫤I’m unsettled… out of kilter in some way.
These sorts of twinges can be a sign that our values are not being met in the work we\’re doing.
Perhaps you value personal connection and remote working is making that harder, or maybe you thrive on learning and stretch, but aren\’t getting enough of that in a role that you\’ve mastered.
