This Week in Leadership
The Friday Five - Issue 19
Challenging leaders to maximize their potential
Terry Wetzel ~ Summit Leadership Development
The Weight of Perceptions
You cannot control how others perceive you. People’s opinions of you are filtered through their own experiences, biases, and moods. Trying to control this is a futile and exhausting battle. Let it go. Your only job is to act with integrity according to your own values. Be kind. Be honest. Be consistent. Do great work. How people choose to interpret that is their business, not yours.
That One Team Member
Every team has them. You’re thinking of their name right now. They are the person whose mood dictates the vibe of the office or whose style undermines directives. I often see leaders spend 80% of their energy trying to "fix," "manage," or "avoid" this individual. We tell ourselves we are being patient or "relational," but in reality, we are allowing one person’s behavior to become the ceiling for the organization’s effectiveness. Call them out. Do it with kindness, but call them out.
Assessments
Many teams use an assessment similar to CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder), DiSC, or MBTI (Myers-Briggs). These tools help map individual talents and working styles. Teams print out the reports, discuss their top five, and then often file the results away. But here is the reality: your individual strengths are irrelevant in a vacuum. The magic isn't in what you have; it’s in the connections — how your strengths complement or contradict the strengths of the person sitting across from you.
Mentors
When you find yourself trapped in a reactive, high-pressure cycle it is easy to lose the perspective required for high-level leadership. In those moments you must intentionally disrupt your sometimes emotional response and seek a higher vantage point by asking: "What would my wisest mentor advise me to think, ask, or do at this moment?" This shift forces you to detach and instead access the wisdom of someone who has navigated similar terrain.
The Rearview Mirror:
Learning vs. Living
We’ve all been there. A project fails, a key hire doesn't work out, or a "lack of initiative" from a team member leads to a missed deadline. It is tempting to move in and "live" in the frustration, the blame, and the "what ifs." But here is the reality: The past is a place of learning, not a place of living. When you live in the past, you are leading from a place of resentment. Your team can feel it. They stop taking risks because they know that any mistake will be added to a permanent "historical record" rather than used as a data point for growth.
Quote of the Week
"Show me your calendar, and I'll show you your success." — Dan Martell
Book of the Week
I may have chosen a slightly different subtitle and used the word “communicating” vs. “negotiating,” but this book is a very good read. When we stay in control emotionally during difficult conversations, we move much faster toward solutions. Although many of the examples in Never Split the Difference are from high-stakes hostage negotiations, the core principles are very applicable to many situations.
That’s it for this week
Be epic, not average. The world has enough average.
Interested in coaching for you or your team? Reach out and let’s talk.
Your thoughts and feedback are valued. I answer every email personally.
[email protected]
The photo in today’s web edition was taken in Door County, WI.
The links in this newsletter are affiliate links and I earn a small commission on your purchase.