How I Went From Executive Liability to Leader
A few years ago, I had a tantrum on NBC’s network production floor, complete with swearing, threats and plenty of yelling.
I was that guy: the really talented (several Emmys, a Polk and many other journalism awards), but difficult manager who finally blew himself up at work, in spectacular fashion.
Before long, I was contemplating the wonder of bacon at a famous deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. No, I didn’t get fired, but when HR told me to learn some management skills, I picked a different model.
As you may have guessed, in the end that management class at Zingerman’s Deli didn’t have anything to do with sandwiches. While I was there, I read a book that set me on the path of self-discovery and leadership to guide my already awesome team toward the working life we most wanted, even if we still worked in the behemoth of NBC.
A Leadership Framework For People Who Push the Envelope
I learned a framework for people like me: the boss of talented people who wanted to push the envelope and create new things but was stuck. I learned to slay the dragon of work/life balance and become the person I wanted to be on and off the job and at the same time fire up my team.
We become more creative, more productive and had more fun together. Gossip ended, frustration dropped, and we faced our many challenges with creative control of our future.
Here were some of the key moves that took me from executive liability to effective (and even beloved) leader:
· It’s an inside job. Research shows the most effective leaders today know their internal feelings (emotional intelligence), even when they are at work. (I finally linked persistent back pain not to office furniture, but to how I really felt about failing to get the Today Show to take a new direction in story telling.)
· Take responsibility. That meant dropping one of the recurring phrases of my organizational life: “If only…” followed by the obstacle of the day. My belief that circumstances outside of my control was a brilliant recipe for frustration. So I stopped waiting for the world to change and started moving, one step at a time, in the direction I wanted to see it go. At one time, that meant ignoring the antiquated work-at-home policies and creating a fully mobile office culture that allowed my team to be even happier and productive without coming into the office. That is, except for Thursdays, when I bought lunch, we explored this new leadership framework and found our colleagues eavesdropping.
· Learning Agility Whether it’s Agile software development, iterative product design, or personal growth, the ability to quickly move into learning sets the table for success. I started asking myself “What can I learn from this?” whenever I felt stymied, frustrated, or in conflict. I stepped out of the familiar role of defending my beliefs and instead asked what lesson was here for me to learn. I experienced less conflict and more creative problem-solving and my antagonists became unwitting teachers of some of my most valuable lessons, like the one about humility from Brian Williams.
You Can Become A Conscious Leader
Conscious leadership is a cutting-edge business tool that replaces bureaucratic hierarchy and politics with learning agility, connection and emotional/body intelligence to increase creative response. Organizations as diverse as project management startup Asana, pharmaceutical giant Genentech, and high-end homebuilder Woodmeister use these tools every day to create sustainable success for themselves and their customers.
Want to learn how it can work for you and your team?
Executive coach Meg Dennison and I are sharing the essential practices of what saved my work life in an experiential workshop on Wednesday, April 27, from 10am-3pm at the Open Center in Manhattan.
You will come away with specific moves you can use when you show up for work the next day. And it just might start you down the road to even bigger change to create the career and workplace you really want, not the one that just came with your job.