You grab your phone and go to your preferred news feed and start to scroll. You’re not looking for anything in particular; just to get a general view of what’s going on in the world. Then it happens. You see a story that makes you uncomfortable or has the potential to. Another bombing in a country on the other side of the globe, an awful tweet by a world leader, a prayer request for someone with cancer. You catch a glance and you make a conscious choice to scroll right past it. I do it. You do it (c’mon, yes you do). I’m a little embarrassed to admit it but it doesn’t make you and me heartless. It makes us human.
I notice that leaders (O.K…me) do this all the time. You come up against something you see in yourself or something going on “out there” that makes you uncomfortable and you “scroll” right past it, as if it doesn’t exist. “Scroll” means to ignore, avoid, pretend it isn’t there or hope it goes away. The list of these things includes, but isn’t limited to, unresolved conflict, fear, a difficult conversation, a person or situation you’d like to avoid and a tough decision.
My invitation to you this week is three practices:
- Simply notice that you’re “scrolling” past things. Try to skip the personal guilt trip or figuring out why you’re doing it. Simply notice.
- Make a list of those things.
- Imagine what would be possible for you if you took care of that thing.
Leadership is as much about leading yourself as it is leading others. If you have any hope of leading someone else, you must lead yourself first. Comment below with one item you’re scrolling past and what is possible if it was cared for.
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This post was inspired by a leader in the manufacturing space who used a Laser Coaching session that is part of The Intentional Leader platform. Leaders participating in The Intentional Leader have the opportunity to schedule one on one coaching time with some of the world’s leading coaches without the huge expense that coaching like that often costs. If you’d like access to impactful leadership teaching and coaching at a fraction of the typical cost, click here to learn more and schedule a conversation with one of our consultants.