This was from the years when I first became a manager. We got a large project and I wanted it to be successful. I spoke a lot about pushing boundaries and encouraging creative work. However, I was also risk averse and wanted to stay anchored to the shore.
Result?
Whenever my team brought any bold ideas or unconventional approach for the project, I quickly found a reason to dismiss it. And latched on to more comfortable, risk averse solutions.
I realized my mistake years later… when I worked with a leader whose actions didn’t match her words.
She would constantly talk about importance of growing one’s team and how she wants to invest in their development. She even spoke about the development path she had in mind for me… But, I never saw any of the plans come to fruition. They remained in her dialogue.
Here’s what I learnt from her (and my experience as first time manager):
🪴 🪴 Lesson 4: Authenticity demands alignment between our words and actions. It is not about what we say, but what we do. People shouldn’t have to second guess…. They know where things stand – a YES means YES and a NO means a NO.
Hope you enjoyed listening to my personal journey and lessons as I embraced authenticity.
What other aspects are important for you to be authentic? I invite you to build on…
Perspectives 