Just recently, one of my clients, Charlie F., manager and supervisor of a high intensity client support team shared her conundrum with me: for years she’d been in the front line dutifully assisting clients, leading her team. And now, she wanted to step away and take her seat at the executive table as the experienced strategist who could take her organization to the next level.
French author André Gide sums this dilemma up beautifully: “[You] cannot discover new oceans unless [you have] the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
If your goal as a leader is to advance, influence upwards, advocate change and inspire confidence among senior leaders there are certain “shores” you need to let go of. Here are a few that come to mind:
- Unnecessary hand-holding and attending to everyone’s needs
- Endless meetings
- Treating everything as equally urgent
- Divided attention on multiple fronts
- Rushed and unstructured communication
I’d like to share some action steps Charlie (as well as other clients) took to let go of some of these “old” shores in order to claim “new oceans” in their leadership and executive capacity:
- Step back and reflect on the big picture: What are the current trends with clients? What would make the company more competitive? What changes could be made for the organization?
- Take initiatives to share your vision in meetings and presentations
- Articulate your ideas in a clear, concise and intentional manner. (A great tool to organize your thoughts, even under pressure, is the Rule of 3.)
- Delegate and set boundaries around inconsequential and inconspicuous tasks. Focus on high-yield strategy
In the end, these action steps not only thoroughly elevated Charlie’s Executive Presence, they also allowed her to detach herself from what no longer served her.
The result: She took her seat at the executive table with a greater sense of purpose, agency and professional accomplishment as a leader.
So, what shores are you willing to let go of in the new year to “discover those new oceans”?
