Reflections

Self – your understanding and awareness of your own authentic leadership style, the values, skills and passion that you offer as a leader

CAL outcome #1: Develop enhanced self-awareness in order to effectively self-manage and lead others within the context of constant organizational change.

Though I have taken a DiSC profile test in the past, the context of taking it in the Lead Yourself First course and the accompanying exercises really helped me to see aspects of my leadership style and values in ways that I hadn’t previously. Many aspects of the profile resonated with me, in particular around my contributions to the workplace (problem-solving skills, high standards, and  determination) and the concomitant priorities that shape my workplace experience (offering challenge, ensuring accuracy, getting results, maintaining stability). Having these priorities spelled out so clearly reminded me of where I find satisfaction in my work and serve as a good check-in to ensure my values are aligned with where I spend my energy. Learning about others’ styles was a useful reminder that sometimes the things I take personally are more about the way other styles relate to the world than about me.

I learned a lot about assertiveness as a result of the program, and realized that I have a tendency to avoid tough conversations. I have subconsciously equated assertive communication with aggressiveness, and have often chosen an avoidant approach, especially in the workplace. Through the awareness I’ve gained in the CAL program, I’m learning to be more conscious of when I may be avoiding difficult conversations, and to make a plan to tackle them assertively.

CAL outcome #7: Engage wellness strategies that enhance resiliency in yourself and others.

As a leader in my organization, I have known for some time that resiliency is a key leadership quality, but after taking the Leading with Resilience course as one of the program electives, I am able to approach this aspect of leadership with more purpose. I have used the simple breathing techniques we covered in class in stressful moments since and found it helps me to be more in tune with how I’m experiencing stress in my body, and thus how to manage it. I’m also more aware of my colleagues’ capacity for resiliency and realize that a few of them don’t have many tools for managing stress. And I’m beginning to recognize when this causes a “spillover effect,” where their lack of resilience begins to affect others around them. One of the tools we covered in the course – on initiating a conversation to address a lack of resilience – has been especially useful in addressing this with one of my colleagues. It was an uncomfortable conversation to have, but our relationship has improved and I feel less anxious about meeting with this person since.

I’ve also learned that I need to be more conscious of and careful about setting boundaries. This aspect of leadership came up in a few courses and really resonated with me as I realized that sometimes my tendency to be agreeable and helpful means that I don’t set my own boundaries, and wind up over-committing or saying yes to things that don’t align with my values or where I want to put my energy.

For me to remain resilient in the workplace – and in life in general – I need to stay active. For me this includes a regular yoga practice in a studio and at home, and, depending on the time of year, other pursuits such as hiking, swimming, spin class, bootcamp class, etc. Having time to myself is also a big factor in my capacity for resiliency, as is adequate sleep and time to connect with friends and family. I have been fairly successful in maintaining these various aspects of resiliency, though at times I over-commit myself with work and friends, and tend to sacrifice exercise first.

Relationships– your exploration of your capacity, confidence and capability in engaging with
others and leading a team

CAL outcome #5: Foster creative thinking and critical self-reflection to enhance problem-solving and decision-making skills

I think one of the best ways I can foster innovation and creative thinking is to “get out of the way” and apply myself to helping others to share their thoughts and ideas. The coaching techniques that were covered in Leading Through Relationships have been very useful for me in this regard. Previously, although the concept of asking open-ended questions really made sense to me, in practice I’ve sometimes found this difficult to implement, especially when someone asks me a question that seems to have an obvious or easy answer. I both enjoy problem-solving and tend to be fairly directive as I’m often in a hurry and can “see” the answer. Through consciously invoking coaching questions, I’m learning to not be so quick to provide an answer and instead to offer a few open-ended questions; sometimes this can create the necessary space for the other person to answer their own question. I think that these small steps can contribute to fostering an environment of innovation and creative thinking, rather than one where the expectation is that someone higher-up in the organization will have all the answers.

 

Organization– your understanding of what it means to foster a healthy, productive workplace
and how you contribute to positive change

CAL outcome #6: Create and manage collaborative relationships to engage, influence and motivate individuals, teams and external partners within and across organizational boundaries.

One of the things I really enjoy about my work is connecting with others and creating collaborative relationships. And when things are going well, I am able to “lead from behind” and create an  environment where everyone is able to contribute. However, I’ve had a few opportunities to lead others through change and conflict, and have found this approach isn’t always appropriate when things are not going well, and that I don’t always address change or conflict as directly as I could. As well, I’ve sometimes found it difficult to balance being attentive to the needs of my team members and the needs of senior management. In past, I have sometimes ignored power structures and held to principle or bottom line in times of change and conflict. I’m now learning to be more deliberate in my approach and much more conscious of the possibilities of influence, and of the power structures involved in various relationships.

Throughout the CAL program one of the things I’ve learned is that leading with accountability, integrity and respect means listening to diverse viewpoints and attempting to find common ground when conflict arises. I am trying to take the time to slow down in my need to get things done in order to find this common ground.

 

Photo by Yeshi Kangrang on Unsplash