It's Not You, It's Me...
I believed that if I just worked harder, visibility and impact would follow.
The truth was that doing more wasn't solving the problem - especially in an environment that thrived on competition and rewarded taking on more. Doing more just made me feel more stressed, which led to all the behaviors I didn’t want to exhibit as a leader - impatience, being short with people, and putting undue pressure on my team to deliver.
The wake-up call came when my boss shared how I was being perceived. It was a bit of a sucker punch, but I needed to hear it to recognize the impact of me trying to do more without figuring a sustainable “how.”
I wish I could say that this never happens anymore, but I’d be lying. I’m an achiever at heart. I have the desire to make a huge impact. I tend to focus on doing and often overlook the being and feeling aspects of the equation. I am human.
Sometimes the best endurance lesson is recognizing how our desire to achieve and prove can backfire.
The real win?
Learning how to lead in a way that sustains me and creates the impact I want in the world.
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