Thank you for joining me! My first post comes on the heels of a pretty powerful professional experience that has led to some deep soul searching into the recognition that sometimes “it’s just business”. I have been in the consulting world for over a decade and I have spoken those very words to many people regarding their professional careers, but only twice have I needed to remind myself of the reality that it's not always personal.
As I reflect on my most recent experience where a client asked me to step aside as their project lead, I find myself both relieved and despondent. I am relieved to be removed from a situation that was increasingly confrontational while also despondent because I thrive on connection and the lack of positive connection is hard for me. Perhaps a better way of stating that is that I fear disconnection. (15 months after writing this I read "Dare to Lead" by Brené Brown and learned that this is the very definition of shame. I am thankful to say I am actively working through moving shame out of the driver's seat in my life). What I must realize is that this is not defeat, it's just business.
It is customary in our work to engage in long, often arduous, projects with our clients. Therefore, ensuring that the project team is engaged professionally, and shares similar work and communication styles, is vital to the success of the project. At the start of these engagements, I like to prepare the project team for what I call "the inevitable tunnel of darkness" (what is this?) where we are too far into the project to turn back but the end seems so far away. My goal in this discussion is to prepare the project team for times in the project where people may not like me very much because it will appear I am pushing back. A lot. Hopefully, by the time it gets really tough, there will be a level of trust and recognition that I am an advocate for holistic project success and that requires consideration of project-wide goals over personal goals and a willingness to collaborate and sometimes compromise for the sake of greater project success. Unfortunately, this time around, that trust was not strong enough to sustain the tunnel of darkness.
And that is ok. Why?
The show will go on. My colleagues are well-equipped to launch this project successfully and our new Project Lead will pick up where I left off
It's just business.
As for me, I know my efforts are not marked with a note of failure. This is a common occurrence where key project resources have differing management styles and we are fortunate enough to have the ability to offer a new resource in hopes for a better connection.
Through this experience, I have become aware that my management style is to empower through authentic leadership (the blog's namesake). It is important to me to lead in a way that promotes people and their individual triumphs for the greater good of, not only the project, but the people on the project. To do this, leaders must know themselves and trust themselves to show up authentically wherever they are and whoever they are with. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and tips on how to successfully engage and empower people through authentic leadership tactics.
I am excited to have you on this journey with me!
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. —Theodore Roosevelt