Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and Gola gving.
Speaker 1: This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Speaker 1: Paul Felloledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode five twenty four. Today's title is behind the
Speaker 2: leadership eight Ball. Now, if you've ever played pool, you
Speaker 2: know that being behind the eight ball is the worst
Speaker 2: place to be. It means your options are limited, your
Speaker 2: next move is tough, and one wrong decision can cost
Speaker 2: you the entire game. That's exactly how it feels in
Speaker 2: leadership when you're constantly reacting instead of planning. So let's
Speaker 2: be honest. We've all been there. Maybe it was a
Speaker 2: stat in crisis. Maybe it was a financial shortfall that
Speaker 2: you didn't see coming. Maybe it was a problem employee
Speaker 2: you let go on too long without addressing, whatever the situation.
Speaker 2: When you're behind the leadership eight ball, you feel pressure,
Speaker 2: you feel boxed in, and you feel like you're playing
Speaker 2: defense instead of offense. So let's break this down. Why
Speaker 2: do leaders end up behind the leadership eight ball in
Speaker 2: the first place. Number one is poor communication. If you
Speaker 2: weren't communicating clearly, and consistently, you'll be blindsided by issues
Speaker 2: that could have been prevented. Silence doesn't protect you, it
Speaker 2: sets traps for you. Number two is ignoring data. Leaders
Speaker 2: who run on feelings instead of facts often get surprised
Speaker 2: when reality catches up. Members don't lie, but our bias
Speaker 2: often does. Number three procrastination. That email you didn't answer,
Speaker 2: that meeting you kept pushing off, that tough conversation you avoided.
Speaker 2: Those don't go away. They pile up in Eventually they
Speaker 2: block every shot that you have left in. Number four
Speaker 2: a lack of systems. If you don't have processes in
Speaker 2: place to track staffing, money, performance, and morale, you'll always
Speaker 2: be playing catch up. Systems are not red tape their
Speaker 2: insurance agents against chaos. Now, let's talk about how to
Speaker 2: get out from behind the leadership eight ball. First, reset
Speaker 2: the table. When pool players are in trouble, they don't
Speaker 2: take wild shots. They slow down, analyze, and set themselves
Speaker 2: up for the next move. Leaders need to do the same. Pause, breathe,
Speaker 2: get clarity before you act. Second, call your shot in poll.
Speaker 2: You don't just hit the cue ball and hope you
Speaker 2: declare your intention. Leaders must do the same. Tell your
Speaker 2: people the plan, own your decisions and be up front
Speaker 2: about what's coming next. And third is play position, not
Speaker 2: just the ball. Great pool players don't just think about
Speaker 2: the next shot. They think about the shot after that
Speaker 2: and the one after that. As a leader, you have
Speaker 2: to think two, three, four steps ahead. Don't just fix
Speaker 2: today's problem, set yourself up to prevent tomorrow's. And finally,
Speaker 2: except that you won't sink every shot even the best
Speaker 2: players miss. The key is to stay calm, stay consistent,
Speaker 2: and keep learning. Leadership isn't about perfection, it's about persistence.
Speaker 2: So let me leave you with this. If you're behind
Speaker 2: the leadership eight ball today, don't panic. You can fight
Speaker 2: your way out, but you have to slow down. You
Speaker 2: have to get intentional, and you have to think like
Speaker 2: a strategist, not a firefighter. And remember, being behind the
Speaker 2: eight ball is not permanent. It's just your current position,
Speaker 2: and one smart move can change the entire game. This
Speaker 2: has been the seven minute Leadership podcast and I thank
Speaker 2: you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul fell of Alito podcasts, visit paulfelloalito dot
Speaker 1: com