WORKWEEK

 My good friend Hebba shared this article in her newsletter this week (if you aren’t subscribed, you are missing out).

Being a manager has been BRUTAL these last three years.

As our country became divided over the last three years, they’ve been expected to play peacekeepers in addition to managing daily operations.

Let’s look at a few of the manager’s responsibilities:

• Creating schedules
• Inventory management
• Coach
• Delegating work
• Recognizing employees
• Accountability conversations
• Company advocate
• Employee advocate
• Friend
• Psychologist

These managers have A LOT on their plate.

Here is my ask of you, as a leader of people.

Give yourself some grace.

The truth is most managers aren’t set up for success. They were hired as a manager and expected to figure it out on their own.

This isn’t fair to them or their employees.

Even those who were set up for success were put in the middle of chaos recently.

As a leader, you were forced to be the support system for everyone around you, likely including your friends and family. 

Did you make time for yourself?

Do everyone a favor and give yourself grace.

You aren’t perfect, and nobody expects you to be.

This month make yourself a priority. Do the things that you know will let you be at your best.

Being a leadership coach has taught me everyone is going through challenging situations.

Those who appear to have it all figured out on the outside often deal with addiction, anxiety, depression, problems with their kids, and relationship issues.

It’s like Mos Def says, “A lot is going on behind the empty smiles.”

Because people are complex, it’s easy to make assumptions when we don’t understand why they do what they do.

The leaders who can solve conflict and help their teams through difficult situations effectively are those who take the time to understand the people around them.

When the decisions of others don’t make sense, it is because we don’t take the time to get curious and understand the people around us.

Two things that will help you see people deeply when problems happen.

1) Assume the best intentions.

When mistakes happen, challenge yourself to assume the best intentions of others. People don’t show up and decide to be bad at their job or difficult to work with.

But when mistakes and conflict happen, assume people were trying their best and then figure out what got in their way. This approach will often prevent conflict from happening before it starts.

2) Get curious

Resist the urge to criticize the decisions and actions of others immediately. This will only cause people to get defensive.

Instead, take the time to understand what happened, what can be learned, and what changes need to be made to prevent the mistake from being repeated.