What Do You Stand For?
As an organizational-psychologist, I know that the most successful professionals are those who approach high-stress seasons differently.
When most speed up, they slow down.
When most multi-task, they discern.
When most put up a fight, they collaborate.
When most spin out, they hold steady.
These behavioral inversions appear on almost every list of leadership ‘hacks’ - and for good reason! - but they’re nearly impossible to execute well if you don’t know what you stand for.
Why Take a Stand?
Like a parachuter who focuses on the horizon, or a ballerina who spots her way across a stage, knowing what you stand for helps you align the efforts that will take you further.
It also saves you from being:
thrown off by self-doubt or peripheral drama
waylaid by other people's agendas
mired in the wrong work
And it does something even more important.
It helps you retain your self-respect and the respect of your team!
So if you and your team haven’t engaged with this question, it's the perfect season to start.
What Will You Stand For?
Figuring out what you stand for requires a willingness to be candid and clear about the 'rules' you live, work and play by.
Here are 3 questions to help you get started:
What are some things no one will ever talk you out of? e.g. your must-haves or non-negotiables
What are some things you absolutely won't tolerate? e.g. your deal-breakers
Twenty years from now, what do you hope others will say about you?
Once you and your team answer all three, see if you can identify the essence of your answers; the fundamental qualities or principles you all stand for.
By leading this exercise, you will not only make the implicit explicit (a valuable leadership skill!), you will also build collective courage to slow down, discern, collaborate, and hold steady through this high-stress season.
