WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:04.480 Welcome to Hacking Your Leadership. I'm Chris'm Lorenzo, and welcome to this week's 2 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:08.160 Thoughtful Thursday. Don't forget to follow us on YouTube at Hacking your Leadership and 3 00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:11.759 leave us a review on whatever podcast platform you're listening to. On this Thoughtful 4 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:15.119 Thursday, I want to talk about a listener question we haven't we haven't read 5 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:17.960 one of these on the on the you know, in an episode recently. 6 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:22.079 We get listener questions all the time, We get feedback on Instagram and LinkedIn 7 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:26.239 all the time. But this listener question kind of popped out at me because 8 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:29.800 it resonated. I read this and I thought, oh, this is this 9 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.399 is a good topic. We need, we need to mention this. A 10 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:38.679 listener reached out and said that they noticed that changes were happening in terms of 11 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:44.000 the conversations that they had with their leader, that leaders were that her leader 12 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:47.960 was setting her down, and that the conversation felt different than it had in 13 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:54.759 previous years around how the connection has had with her team. And so it 14 00:00:54.840 --> 00:01:00.719 wasn't just a kind of turning the heat up on results or outcomes, included 15 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:06.400 kind of turning the heat up on how those connections were discussed. Or you 16 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:10.799 know, how the kind of the relationship was with the team members and that 17 00:01:10.840 --> 00:01:15.760 felt very different to her. The most important part of this question was she 18 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:19.560 said that she had peers or co workers that were reaching out to her and 19 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:23.480 saying that they were honestly terrified that they were going to lose their job. 20 00:01:23.560 --> 00:01:26.560 They didn't have the skills needed to in order to make these changes. And 21 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:32.000 then this person wanted to know if we've seen this happening across other industries or 22 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.480 if we've heard this from other people before. I love this question, and 23 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:37.000 the short answer is, yes, it's happening everywhere. Yeah, No, 24 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:40.200 I think it's it's good dialogue. I mean, the there's been a lot's 25 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:45.159 been going on, I think just you know, with globally across industries, 26 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:51.319 across businesses right now, and there has been a lot of questions and comments 27 00:01:51.319 --> 00:01:55.079 and things that we've received specifically about that that like, hey, it feels 28 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:59.159 like, you know, the expectations are getting higher. And what I think, 29 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:02.040 into a degree is like, I don't know that necessarily the expectations are 30 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:07.319 getting higher, but they are changing and and and in a lot of businesses 31 00:02:07.360 --> 00:02:13.719 and organizations and industries, and you know, this listener. It comes from 32 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:17.680 an office space, uh, in a specific industry where I don't know that 33 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:23.840 they're saying we need to have more of you know of of an outcome specifically, 34 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:29.599 we need the same outcome to continue and we need you to do it 35 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:34.199 in a way that is bringing our people along and making sure that they have 36 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:39.360 a really uh elevated experience, right And I think that that is where we're 37 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:44.439 seeing this kind of play out. We've talked a lot about this, that 38 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:49.120 the leaders that have the ability to connect, to have empathy, to be 39 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:53.680 able to to to to understand people's perspectives, to include their teams in the 40 00:02:53.759 --> 00:03:00.039 dialogue, that create kind of a very open and synergetic workplace, while also 41 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:05.360 having the skill set to say we do all of this so that we can 42 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:10.199 perform and not just maybe at the expectation, but above it. That is 43 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:20.840 a very key skill that requires a good amount of experience and background and understanding 44 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:24.280 because it's not an easy it's not an easy way to do both at the 45 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:27.879 same time. It is both at the same time. Be clear about it. 46 00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:30.560 It is both like you have a responsibility and something that you need to 47 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:35.360 make sure you deliver on and as a leader of people, you have a 48 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:38.960 responsibility to bring them along on that and to empower them and create great spaces 49 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:44.400 for them. And what I have learned in my career is that typically when 50 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:46.360 you have that approach to leadership and you're doing both of those things at the 51 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:51.400 same time, that's when you get to high performing teams the fastest. And 52 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:58.439 that's where you really have a cascading of talent and development and work systems that 53 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:04.439 are easy to replicate and or scale because you're spending the time with intention in 54 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:10.280 both places at the same time, and you're teaching people that their outcomes really 55 00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:15.240 are the truest measurement of their effectiveness and efficiency in leadership and in the job 56 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:18.759 that they have. And some people right now in all industries are struggling with 57 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:21.879 that. Oh you're a spot on. The verbiage that the listener used was 58 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:27.120 that the bar has been raised, And I like your response because no, 59 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.040 the bar hasn't been raised. The bar is just changing. Meaning if this 60 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:33.399 isn't something that you struggle with, the bar hasn't been raised, it's just 61 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:36.800 something that you do. If my leaders sat me down and said I need 62 00:04:36.839 --> 00:04:40.560 you to fly to work starting tomorrow, well, the bar has been really 63 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:44.160 raised, because I can't fly right. But if these are natural skills that 64 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:46.680 you have, if you know how to do this, they know the bar 65 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:50.040 hasn't been raised. You should feel like doors are opening for you in terms 66 00:04:50.040 --> 00:04:54.399 of how you get promoted and how you can move up with an organization and 67 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:59.160 the career opportunities that you have now, because if this is where your skills 68 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:04.000 naturally lie. This is a broad generalization, but I think a lot of 69 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:10.759 leaders gravitate towards one or the other, not both. A lot of leaders 70 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:15.680 are either really great at collaborating and making sure that their teams feel like they're 71 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:18.439 being brought along for the journey, and maybe they struggle more with delivering the 72 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:24.079 outcomes that are needed or holy people accountable to an outcome, or they're really 73 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:28.040 great at driving an outcome really hard in a way that is not collaborative and 74 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:30.519 that does not bring their team along. I know even leaders who are good 75 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:34.319 at doing both, they're good at doing both because they work at whatever the 76 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:38.759 other one is. One of those two things is a very natural thing for 77 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:41.319 them, and the other one is something that they have to put work and 78 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:44.560 effort in in their own personal development. In order to make sure that other 79 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:46.480 part is there and that they are that it's a both thing. They're not 80 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:49.720 kind of shirking one to focus on the other. And so what I want 81 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:53.560 to ask you, Lorenzo, is what advice would you have for a leader 82 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:57.439 who might be struggling with this, who is naturally better at one or the 83 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:00.439 other of these two things. They know they need to do both. They 84 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:02.360 know the train is leaving the station, and they struggle with this. So 85 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:04.240 I don't ask you that, but first I want to get up toward from 86 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:08.519 one of our sponsors. All Right, Lorenzo, if the leader is listening 87 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:10.920 to this and they're struggling with this, what advice do you have for them? 88 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:15.759 I think it boils down to two things. The first one is having 89 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:20.040 the intellectual honesty to look in the mirror and say out loud exactly what you 90 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:25.399 just said, which is I am struggling here, and not just saying it 91 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:29.600 to yourself, but going to your peers and going to your direct boss and 92 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:32.000 saying I am struggling here and I need some help, but I need some 93 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.959 developments, right, because I think what happens a lot of times is instead 94 00:06:35.959 --> 00:06:40.519 of doing that, people their ego gets involved, they get scared, they 95 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:45.439 get anxious, and they run instead of actually having the conversation and asking for 96 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:47.519 the help that's needed. Because I think in most environments, if you are 97 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:51.600 delivering on one of those two things and the bar is changing, and you 98 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:56.279 go to your boss and say, hey, I want to continue to perform 99 00:06:56.759 --> 00:06:59.759 for you in my role, but I need help here, Like I am 100 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:03.040 struggling and I could definitely use your help or somebody's help or some type of 101 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:06.560 direction here to be able to get me down the road so that I can 102 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:12.040 have success in these two spaces. Now that's step number one. Step number 103 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:14.879 two is you also have to commit to yourself that you're willing to take the 104 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:17.519 actions to get better at it. You can't just put this onto a boss 105 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:20.959 or appear or say that's up to somebody else to teach me how to get 106 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:24.959 better at these two things. People need to be aware that you're struggling so 107 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:27.639 they can give you some grace, they can give you some help, and 108 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:30.800 they can provide you with some resources that may help you get there. And 109 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:32.319 they're aware of it. You're not ignoring it, you're not running from it. 110 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:35.879 You're not pretending like everything is fine, but you are actually being honest 111 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:39.560 enough with yourself to do that. But with the second thing, when you 112 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:43.360 commit to yourself, you need to be learning every week, if not every 113 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:47.480 day, you have to spend time in the space, especially if you are 114 00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:51.240 a leader of people. To get better at becoming a leader of people, 115 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:57.199 you have to either read, listen to audiobooks, listen to podcast talk about 116 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:01.319 It doesn't matter to me what you do. But if you're not continually thinking 117 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:05.319 about, reading about and talking about how this is evolving and changing from an 118 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:09.279 expectation of leadership, If you are not aware of these concepts and spending time 119 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:13.519 learning about them and figuring out how do they apply to your every day, 120 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:16.319 then you are short changing yourself and you're not going to get better. And 121 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:20.800 whatever you ask for at work for help is never going to be enough to 122 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:24.160 actually get you across the line that you need to be at to continue to 123 00:08:24.199 --> 00:08:28.079 have success in these roles. So like that for me is I think the 124 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:31.000 two pieces that I think are the largest that leaders really have to think about 125 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:35.840 and consider if you are willing to do the work to get better. If 126 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:39.200 you are not willing to do the work to get better, then that is 127 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:43.279 what that is. And I think that will be very apparent because you won't 128 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:46.519 ask for the help, you won't show up and work hard, you won't 129 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:50.000 take the commitment to try to better yourself. We'll see that in your behaviors 130 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:52.639 and your actions. But if you really want to do that, you really 131 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:56.279 have to do those two things right. Right. If if you're two years 132 00:08:56.279 --> 00:09:01.240 from retirement, maybe you can string this along and and then and then exit, 133 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:03.000 you know, gracefully when it's time to you know, kind of hang 134 00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:05.919 up your your hat and uh, you know, you know, and retire. 135 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:09.840 But if you have more than say, two years left before you can 136 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:13.440 retire, these are changes you have to are going to have to make or 137 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:16.200 they will be made for you. Unfortunately, like this, this is just 138 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:20.360 the way it's going. You know that. One of the things I love 139 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:24.840 that you said there is around asking for help from your boss or your peers 140 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:28.559 reaching out and I picture leaders listening to and thinking, you know, I 141 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:31.120 don't want them to know that I'm struggling with this. And my answer to 142 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:35.320 that is they already know you're struggling with Actually, they already had that conversation, 143 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:39.879 right, they see it. You just haven't they just don't know that. 144 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:43.120 You know, that's the only thing. So yeah, I love that. 145 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.519 Don't don't think that you're somehow like, you know, letting the cat 146 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:50.480 out of the bag by by having these conversations. It's already out, so 147 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:56.559 you will only do positive things by having these conversations. But again, it 148 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:58.559 it puts you on the hook for it. It's it's the It's the same 149 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:03.679 thing as you know posting on Facebook on January first, I'm gonna lose fifty 150 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:07.679 pounds this year. You know, doing that means that your friend list will 151 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:11.799 know whether it happened by your picture posts in December. This is the same 152 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:16.240 thing. If you put your yourself out there, you ask your leaders and 153 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:18.039 your peers for help and support, they will give it to you, but 154 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:22.120 they will be watching to see whether or not you actually meant it by the 155 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:24.240 actions you take as you go forward. Absolutely, and with that it brings 156 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:26.480 us at the end of this episode, this is hacking your leadership. I'm 157 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:28.919 Lorenzo and I'm Chris, and have a great day.