Do you realize that every single living person on earth has the following in common? We woke up today. I am assuming you are awake, by the way, if you are reading this.
Most of us then got dressed. Most of us cleaned ourselves up. Some of us ate breakfast and some (probably majority) traveled somewhere for work. Billions of people have these things in common. Think about that.
If we all experience coming awake sometime each day then why are some of us not fully alive?
Look around at your office or place of employment. While each person shared the same things, each person is at a different place of life. Some are operating at 60% while others are at 90%+. Why? What is the difference?
I believe you will find it in the shower thoughts or the drive time? You will find it in the issues – the personal and work-related issues.
Personal issues include marriage, family, and children issues. Add in your internal psyche and your emotional health followed by your social issues and perhaps mental dilemmas.
Work-related issues include office relationships, role pressure, culture conflicts and your boss or board or what have you.
It is impossible to separate personal issues from work-related issues. We bring issues to work and bring issues home every night. That is reality and your leadership cannot come alive until you are ready to realize reality. The best way to do that is to…
NAME IT.
List your realities. Don’t over exaggerate them – list them. Here is a list of someone I talked to recently. The pressures of this person were real. She has…
• Migraines
• Poor relationship with a sibling
• Lots of deadlines from her job
• Dislike of her company culture and more specifically her boss.
That is it. She named it. When you name something you can deal with it. One health issue. One relationship issue. Two culture and role issues. Good… now we can go to work.
I asked her if her migraines were related to the others. She thought they were. I gave her perspective on handling conflict with her sister. That gave her hope. She admitted she was not fully engaged in her work, which I believe shaped her view of the culture.
In order for your leadership to come alive you must be ready and willing to face your realities and deal with the issues that are leading to your death. When that happens then you are at a foundational place to look at the future with hope for maybe the first time in a long time.
When you name it you are one step closer to freedom. Real leaders get real with themselves. Real leaders know their issues and deal with them. Do the hard work and lead yourself.
