How to become a POWERFUL Leader with 5 Simple Questions

Years ago, I was leading a team and one of my staff was always showing up late. I was frustrated by this because we had a front reception office that needed to be opened right at 8am.

While this one employee wasn't the receptionist, they were responsible for supervising that position. And when the receptionist wasn't able to make it into work because of being sick or an appointment, this other employee had to fill in.

The issue was that I tend towards giving my team space and freedom because as a high-achieving, self-motivated person, that's what I enjoy too. But the front office was being left empty on the occasional day that the receptionist didn't come in and their supervisor wasn’t in the office either.

This ended up reflecting badly on all of us, including the broader organization since we were a community-facing government office... all because of how I was showing up (or more accurately, NOT showing up) as a leader.

So instead of being frustrated and angry, I checked in with myself... how often did I come into work later than I was "supposed to"? And how clear had I been with the staff on responsibilities and expectations about start times?

That's just one small example but the situation can be anything in your leadership role, business or personal life. 

Perhaps you’re feeling frustrated, disappointed, irritated, or other things in your leadership, business or personal life.

If I'm being really honest and direct, here's the TRUTH: 

Frustrated things aren't working out? It's actually YOUR fault!

Sounds a bit harsh, but it's true...

Here are some scenarios I've run into with myself, my teams, friends and clients over the years:

• Staff showing up late... what time do you show up every day?
• Clients making you angry because they want you to go out of your way to help them... what boundaries are you letting them cross?
• Team not doing what you want them to do... have you been clear with them about their role/duties/work descriptions/expectations?
• Deadlines being missed... Are you checking in and verifying the work is getting done?
• Not enough time to get everything done... how much time are you wasting doing unproductive tasks?
• Business results not as strong as you wanted... look at time invested, money spent and how you've shown up each day. Do they align?
• Low on energy... how much time are you investing in self-care?
• Personal relationships not going quite as you'd like... then how are you showing up in them?
  
  

Basically, how you show up is DIRECTLY influencing how the world responds.

And as a leader, this is even more important!

How you behave sets the path for others.

You set the standard, then they follow your lead.

I worked in an executive office for a number of years which included the disciplinary oversight for the naval base here on the west coast of Canada.

And the person in charge of military dress and deportment shared that the senior leadership were directly responsible for how the rest of the organization acted.

That the "troops" would rise up to the standard set. Or if we were sloppy with our standards, they would be even more sloppy. 

As the leaders, we set the tone, pace and standards for our teams which influences how our organizations perform, customers are supported, morale, revenues and attendance rates... and much more!

How in line are your actions with the impact you want to have on your team, in your biz and the world?

You've probably heard the quote "be the change you want to see" before and it's very true!

Whether it's in business, in your leadership role or personal life, what you experience is a reflection of how you're showing up. The world is a MIRROR of how we think, believe and behave.

This can be a challenging thing but it is also the most EMPOWERING thing ever!

Because it's within your sphere of influence.

So to get empowered results, you need to be empowered yourself!

This is why when I coach on mindset with leaders we start with the inner work first. Because when that is aligned with how you want to live, lead and love. The rest naturally falls into place!

So what's one place you are going to change how you're showing up this week?

If you'd like to set up a weekly/monthly routine that keeps you in the Empowered Mindset... check out the EMPOWERED LEADER Planning Kit:

The EMPOWERED LEADER

An empowered leader is aware of this direct connection to how they show up.

They know that they can influence their teams, businesses, organizations and communities by how they think and behave.

• They take responsibility.
• They ask themselves how to show up differently.
• They take action to make changes.
• They know they are they key to these shifts.
• They take time to reflect and self-assess and shift.
• They invest in themselves thru time, self-care and asking for help.
• They get support to see outside the box and get perspective.

The difference between this type of leader and those stuck in a dis-empowered or victim attitude are:

• A dis-empowered leader feels like a victim.
• They feel frustrated and annoyed at the world, their staff, their customers and loved ones.
• They feel defeated and unable to live the life they desire, because they world isn't working for them.
• They struggle, work hard but are unable to reach their goals.

This is the real difference between a true leader.

It comes down to being EMPOWERED.

And this can change like a light switch being flipped.

All it takes is a shift in perspective.

By looking at things in how you can show up differently to create the results you desire, you become EMPOWERED.

That's it.

Simple.

Yet, extremely powerful!

5 Simple Questions to Become an EMPOWERED LEADER:

To immediately apply these concepts to your leadership, business and personal life, here are some self-reflection questions to use as part of your weekly/monthly planning & reflection:

1. Where in your work/leadership or personal life are things feeling frustrating, difficult or opposite what you want them to be?

2. How can you show up differently to create the shifts you're looking to see?

3. What are you going to commit to doing this week to make these shifts?

4. How are you going to integrate these changes to make lasting positive impact in the area you're looking to shift?

5. Where/how can you get additional support around this area?

How to sustain the EMPOWERED LEADER Perspective?

Moving forward, I recommend setting an internal mental "program" to help catch these type of issues in the moment while also setting up routines to review things on a regular basis

I do this in a couple of ways:

1. The first way is IN THE MOMENT by internally reflecting on "what am I going to do about it" whenever something doesn't work out, doesn't feel good or needs to be addressed/fixed.  

And "what will I do so this doesn't come up again" which helps to apply the learning right away so it's ready to go to avoid recreating the issue in the future.

2. The second way is by doing a REGULAR WEEKLY PLANNING & REVIEW SESSION where I review what went well, what didn't get done, challenges and check in on projects/staff, etc.

Each week on a Sunday or Monday morning, I sit down and work through my planner workbook and answer the simple prompts to catch and address any issues.

Would you like to integrate this self-reflection into your own weekly routine? You can download the EMPOWERED LEADER Weekly Planner & Reflection Workbook here: