Why Managing Yourself First Makes You a Better Leader
I talk a lot about managing people—about inspiring them, motivating them, keeping them engaged and making sure they do what they’re paid to do.
That’s because managing people is one of the hardest parts of the job. And when it’s not going well, it’s the first thing we look for help with.
As someone famous once said, ‘Hell is other people’.
But…what if I told you that the hardest part isn’t managing people after all?
It’s…managing yourself.
Not because you’re difficult. But because we all have default patterns:
- ways we react under stress
- assumptions we don’t question
- blind spots we just don’t see.
The trouble is that those patterns shape how people (AKA, your team) respond to you.
How Self-Awareness Helps You Make Better Leadership Decisions
I know, I know—self-awareness sounds like one of those fluffy concepts that belongs in a TED talk, not in your everyday getting-things-moving work.
But rest assured, it’s not at all about over-analysing yourself. Not even about being ‘better’, more ‘confident’ or more ‘assertive’.
It’s just about NOTICING.
Do you want to give it a try? Try this:
- When was the last time you felt really frustrated at work?
- How did you respond?
- What did that mean for how others responded to you, and around you?
When we start noticing these things, we start making better decisions, and feeling like we have more control when things don’t go as planned.
Next week, I’ll share a simple way to start spotting your own blind spots (no meditation cushion required).
For now—just start noticing.
And if something interesting comes up, come interact with me on my socials. (links are in the footer of the website) I’d love to hear from you.
All good things,
Juliet Robinson
Leadership and Change Specialist
How Juliet can help you.
If you want to skip ahead straight to the intensive version of self-awareness, check out this.
I increasingly turn to YouTube when I want to know how to do something (hello farm pressure pump that wasn’t working). And it occurred to me recently that maybe people also look there for help with things like how to have a difficult conversation with a staff member, or how to set boundaries with their team. So, if you’re like me and are hungry for some help to manage your team, head to our YouTube channel and you might just find the answer you were looking for.
