Pathfinder Strategies

The chair on the left is my trusty old office chair. It's comfortable, reliable, and has served me well for many years. And even now, with it falling apart and looking all gross. It's hard to get rid of it. The old chair represents letting go. I started this year muddled and unsure after months of personal yuck. I knew I wanted to do something different, to reconnect with my joy and impact. What I didn't realize was-that meant letting go of a lot of old mindsets, beliefs and ways of being to make room for something new. This is the same thing that happens when we transition into leadership for the first time. The things that made you successful before, just aren't as effective in the new role. And many of those things must be let go of to make room for the new skills and new identity that leadership requires. The chair on the left is my new chair. Bold, exciting and way more "executive" and BTW-WAY MORE COMFORTABLE. And since I spend most of my life in my office-this is a good investment. But there's not room in my office for both chairs-so the funky old one has to go. I send it off with gratitude that it got me here, and I welcome my new executive chair with excitement for what comes next. Leaders-What old stuff that no longer serves you are you letting go of to make room for the new exciting stuff?

Life is always teaching us and prompting us to grow. Leadership lessons are everywhere. For me, motherhood has been and continues to be one of life's greatest teachers and leadership developers. I am honored to talk with Bianca Grace, LMHC in her compelling podcast, Revive Your Life, about these very experiences. Key lessons from motherhood I've applied in leadership: **It's not all about me...expanding my focus to include the development and growth of others **Becoming a leader, like becoming a mother, is more than just a new set of skills, it's a new identity. And all those things that made me successful in the past just didn't work in my new identity. **Planning for perfection is impossible Thanks for the enlightening conversation Bianca Grace, LMHC!

Me finally getting out of the house the weekend to enjoy some beautiful spring weather. Happy Friday!

A leadership haiku #leadership #leadershiplearning #leadershipjourney #yougotthis #leadershipdevelopment

One of my favorite things about working in my home office

My first experience in leadership was a disaster. Initially, I was thrilled about being promoted to a management position. A pay raise, and office, and business cards with the word “manager” in the title that I could proudly show my mom. Yes, please! But I was not prepared. In about 37 seconds I realized I was out of my depth and clueless. One thing I knew for sure-none of my old tricks worked. I couldn’t customer service or task manage my way into being an effective manager. And forget about asking for any kind of help. After all, I was a leader and leaders are supposed to know things. The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to my clueless self. Things got worse when my boss went to a a conference, leaving me in charge of the entire department. It only took 2 days for things to fall apart. A long-brewing conflict erupted into a full on fist fight, right there in the middle of the office.  Upon hearing the screaming and the commotion, I rushed over to see two members of my team entangled in a physical altercation. If ever the team needed a confident, competent leader, it was now. Here was a moment that called for courage and leadership and a willingness step up and step in. A moment when the team needed me. And I did nothing. Instead I stood paralyzed with uncertainty. I didn’t know how to manage the situation, or the team. I didn’t even know how to manage myself. In that moment I failed myself and I failed the team. This experience changed the trajectory of my leadership journey and it forced me to face a few hard truths: ·        My fear and uncertainty was damaging the team ·        “Figuring out” how to be a good leader wasn’t an option. The learning curve was too steep, too long and there was too much at a stake to spend years learning through trial and error. ·        If I wanted to be the kind of leader the team and the organization could depend on, I needed help. I did enroll in a leadership program and I hired a coach. Slowly I began to feel more capable and confident which dramatically improved my performance and helped me be a better support to the team. Those two fighting team members? After a few painful months their relationship began to heal, the conflict was resolved and trust was restored. My experience is not unique. Taking on a leadership role for the first time, is hard. This is why nearly half of new leaders fail within the first six months of taking on the role. And this, is why I’m launching the transformational Spark Your Leadership program.   This program is for you if ü You feel uncertain, anxious or burned out ü You long to be confident and capable in your leadership role but something is holding you back ü You want to accelerate the learning curve so you save yourself years of time and frustration ü You lead leaders, and want to fast track their effectiveness This virtual program starts March 26th. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gRBX95ww

Spark Your Leadership is our first open enrollment program and we couldn't be more excited to share it with you. Stay tuned for details and registration! #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #newleadership #managementdevelopment #spark #sparkyourleadership

Hey leaders-I know you're busy. When we're busy, it's easy for little things to fall through the cracks, to forget to share information with the team or to make a unilateral decision for the sake of expediency. It can be hard to find the time to check in, follow up and listen to every person on the team. But these seemingly small things add up. Over time, these behaviors diminish trust, erode relationships and stifle performance. Take a look at this article all about the things leaders accidently do that hurt trust-and what can be done differently to promote communication, and boost trust on the team. https://lnkd.in/gcUnrx7Z