Can you feel that crispy chill in the air? It’s Halloween time and man oh man, do I have a horror story for you. I’m almost too afraid to type it! Have you heard of the stagnant leadership monster? It terrorizes the best and brightest leaders like you and when it bites, it’ll drag you down. Come a little closer and let me tell you a story that’ll keep any leader up at night!
The Tale of the Stagnant Leadership Monster
Recently, I was catching up with a client when I noticed his worried expression. Concerned, I asked what was weighing so heavy on his mind and he said, “I feel lost”. He was no longer motivated to do things that had brought his business success in the past. I immediately knew, he’d been bitten by the stagnant leadership monster. We’ve all seen or experienced its draining ways- we say we want to do something but fail to put it into action. I have a personal quote just about this leadership challenge,
I don’t know what I don’t know. But what I do know, I don’t do!
Yikes. It’s a daunting task to lead when uncertain and it’s even worse when you know the solution but lose the drive to deliver.
Words are Nothing without Action
Here are some typical motivational quotes that we tend to parrot but never honor, whenever we try fending off that stagnant leadership monster:
“We need the right people in the right place, doing the right things.“We need to work smarter not harder”“Focus on the basics”“Fail forward”“We need to coach our people vs. manage them”“Success is when preparation meets timing”
Repeating words without acting on them, often means you don’t believe them yourself. So how can you ward off terrible, evil habits? I’ve found two things work well to break this curse:
- You fight back by self-evaluating to find the reason why you’re experiencing this disconnect. The best question to ask is, what do I know that I’m not doing right?
- You humbly open your mind to being taught new strategies, vs just saying you want to learn but never show-up for the lessons. To do this you’ll need to admit, I don’t know what I don’t know, and I need to fix it, asap.
As a Leader, What Do I Know That I’m Not Doing Right?
Ok, it’s time to grab a notebook or piece of paper and prepare for some introspection. Ask yourself these questions:
- What am I not doing right?
- What was I doing then that yielded positive results?
- What will it cost me, be it monetary, time or effort, to get back there?
But of course, words are nothing without action, so now you’ve to:
- Schedule time to practice those old habits that worked, right now. Remind yourself, you’ve done it before, so you can do it again. Don’t put it off until next week or even tomorrow. Take that first step now that you’re in the mind space to do it.
Now it’s time to dream:
- Visualize what the outcome would look like today if you resumed those activities.
Let me be clear, the above exercises will not work if you’re not willing to change your behavior. Remember this approach is a familiar route. Again, you’ve done it before, with some minor tweaks, the odds are you can do it again.
Now let’s chat about realizing those tweaks, shall we?
As A Leader, Am I Wise Enough to Admit I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know and Fix It?
I love this Winston Churchill quote. The difference between those that succeed and those that struggle is the desire and discipline to learn and grow. You’ve got to commit to being a forever learner. It’s ok if you don’t currently know all the answers; you can learn them. Afterall, everything you know now, you’ve been taught at some time or another.
Here’s some steps that can help you fill that knowledge gap:
- Commit to listening or reading a personal or professional development book daily.
Don’t overwhelm yourself, set manageable goals for this self-investment activity. Start with dedicating a minimum of 15 minutes a day and work yourself up from there. Feel free to even add a podcast too. The key is to constantly add to your knowledge by exploring the unfamiliar or unknown.
- Schedule your learning time.
Personally, I always set aside the time to listen to a book or podcast while I’m driving to the office in the morning. If I’m working from home, I still maintain the habit each morning.
- Find a learning partner. This person should have similar areas of interest or goals and do it together.
Here’s an interesting fact, I frequently do this with several of my clients. I also practice this habit with my wife, Shannon. We read the same development books, so we can chat about new concepts or ideas and build on them together.
Final Thoughts
It all boils down to discipline and self-reflection. It’s the only way to ward off that stagnant leadership monster. As leaders we must create and maintain good habits, track them even, so we physically see our progression to success. If we stumble or get lost, we’ve also got to be wise enough to seek help and always be open to being taught more about…well, everything.
