Give Yourself Permission
Your inner critic has an unlimited number of messages to keep you stuck, keep you down, and eager to push you backwards.
Whether it’s rooted in performance orientation, perfectionism, or fear, your ego is only interested in your leadership when it’s self-serving (promotion, recognition, pay raise, etc.). If you are looking for personal fulfillment, alignment with your values, or connection to a greater purpose, you will need to create real mental space and opportunity to give yourself permission for something greater, something more meaningful than feeding the demands of your ego. As we close out our book this month, The Leader You Want to Be, Amy Jen Su encourages you to give yourself permission to thrive.
Giving yourself permission likely feels like a privilege you can’t quite afford right now. That’s a fair assessment, given the global state of things in this moment. Yet, as leaders, we are called to vision-cast, to stay vigilant, and to focus on the possible future. You, your teams, and your clients are being bombarded with consistent messages of scarcity and VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity). Instead of waiting for someone or something to grant you permission, consider modeling what permission looks like to those who trust you as a waypoint and a resource. Make it permissible for your co-workers (kids, pets, etc.) to move about in the background. Make it permissible to acknowledge “Zoom fatigue” by encouraging your teams to schedule breaks on their calendars. And, whenever possible, make it permissible for tasks, requests, and inquiries to be ‘punted’ (addressed) until the next day. Leaders, this is the time to really ask yourself the question: “What type of leader do I want to be?” Consider starting with giving yourself permission, making space for your people to give themselves permission, and watch, in admiration, the shift that takes place!
Quote for Growth
“It’s okay now to rest, to play, to love, to feel joy, and to make choices based on what gives us meaning and a deep sense of fulfillment.”