The Leader Who Pays Attention
I’ve been working on something that has truly been a stretch goal for me and was at a point in the process where I needed to reach out to some people who felt very “out of my league.”
I crossed my fingers, not expecting responses, as the imposter syndrome crept in.
Who am I that they’d take the time to respond?
I was pleasantly surprised to get kind and timely responses.
Not only that, but I was met with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to help me to get the answers I was looking for.
What I’m saying, is that when we feel the imposter syndrome bubbling up, it’s good to remember that
· People can be really nice
· The worst thing that anyone can do is say, “No.”
As a leader, when someone comes to you with an idea, you may not realize the intimidation that is associated with approaching you, or the thought and energy that went into the thought that they’re about to share with you.
Our natural default is to half-listen and only see what isn’t going to work.
What happens when you intentionally flip that default on its head and instead, be fully present, listen intently and focus on what CAN work? You not only get to take full advantage of the talented person in front of you, you give them the gift of a leader who is paying attention.
When you pay attention to you people in this way, you find more opportunities to “make them look good!” This is a key improv principle, which challenges us as teammates to focus on setting our teammates up for success, rather than only focusing on ourselves.
I will always appreciate the attention I was gifted from this handful of people who I look up to. They took the time to engage in conversation and looked for ways to help me move forward in my project. They are helping to make me look good, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
How might you slow down, pay attention, and make someone look good today?
More to come on the details of this stretch project, I can’t wait to share it with you!
Is your team looking to supercharge their interpersonal skills? Let’s talk!