Executive Insights
Executive Insights
Six leadership takeaways from an executive
By Raymond White
I had a wonderful meeting with an executive in my organization one afternoon. It kind of came on a whim.
Three months prior, I was looking to schedule a meeting with him, but it kept getting cancelled because of his busy schedule.
I wouldn’t say that I gave my hopes up, but I began to focus on other things and hoped to schedule a new meeting later in the year.
Then, he stopped me in the hallway one day and asked for my help with completing a task.
After asking what his needs were, I scheduled sometime with him to walk him through how to best meet his needs so he can perform his role.
In the back of my mind, I hoped that I would be able to fix the problem quickly, then ask for the remaining of the time to ask some questions about his role. Whether it was 10 minutes or 2, I was looking to take every chance can.
That day came, and the set up was easy. As I was wrapping up he asked if I was still looking to have coffee with him. Of course I said yes, and he had some time before his next meeting for that coffee.
I was thrilled and wanted to be sure that I respected his time, but was able to pinpoint what it was I was looking to get out of that conversation. Here were some of my key takeaways that I found for me to carry out personally and to create space for other leaders on their quest towards their professional development.
Always find time to connect
This executive was eager to get to know me, ask me about my goals, and what I wanted to do in life. In this discussion, I found that we had a similar connection of studying diversity, inclusion, and culture in undergrad and use that lens in our leadership. The fact that he wanted to take the time to sit with me and connect shows that he wants to be engaged with others more than just them doing the work.
The takeaway here is to create time for people. Especially if you are a leader in the organization, don’t be too busy to where you can’t stop and have a cup of coffee. This is why I value 1:1’s with my direct reports so much. They are a dedicated time I have with staff to hear their thoughts, give encouragement, and navigate problems with them. Also, I strive to get out of my office to round and engage with them in their work spaces.
Find what drives you
He continued to ask me if I liked the position I was in and if I liked healthcare as a whole. I appreciated this question because it gave me a moment to reflect my journey in this space and how I have grown. We agreed how important it is to engage in the work that gives us life and excitement, knowing that it may not come from the day to day work that we do. It could come from engaging other departments leaders, knowing the organizational strategic goals and getting connected that way, and finding ways to bring passions to live in the context that we are operating in.
Knowing your why and finding opportunities to do that work in the organization is important. It highlights the need to bring your full self, your full identity, to work every day. As leaders, are we creating environments for our staff to do that? Have we engage them to ask what and where do they see their passions showing up and opening doors for them to be a part of that work? As I reflect on my personal goals and my leadership, I want to be sure that I can clearly articulate those passions and create a space for that discussion to happen.
Put yourself out there
After asking me what I am interested in, he wanted to know if I have engaged in that work. I anticipated that being the evolution of his original question about passions, but his encouragement to reach out to those leaders and see how they see the organization. I need to do that in a similar fashion that I did with him. Letting others know that I am interested in their work shows that I am taking the initiative in my own learning and growth. Nobody is going to look out for me in that way, but if leaders did then that will help tremendously. However, I cannot wait on that and it is something that I need to do on my end if I want to grow in the organization.
Now I know I mentioned that it is on me to put myself out there, but as a leader a the team I still want to open doors for staff who are looking to grow. If in my 1:1, or in meetings, or even in passing, I see certain strengths that can be great in other areas, I feel it’s my service to connect them to others who can help them grow. I want to keep an eye out and help others in that way, by being a platform for someone’s success. Especially if that helps keep talent within the organization. So how are you encouraging your staff to put themselves out there? Do they feel comfortable in doing so, how can you assure them, and how can you connect them to build them up?
Bring value
This executive essentially stated to not only connect with other leaders in the organization, but find a way to add value to them. I added not only asking them how can I help, but even knowing what their pain points are and providing some opportunities to help them in their endeavor. The latter is key because not every person you ask will be able to answer that well, but if there is an opportunity to learn their business by seeing their strategies, then incorporate that in the discussion of helping them out.
Value, value, value. How can I bring value to others and what opportunities am I creating for others to bring me value? I can find ways to encourage others to view any blind spots and pain points that are overlooked by me as a leader. The team having this awareness is very valuable because it encourages the staff to be agents in their own right by bringing problems to light that are outside of what we are seeing. It’s great to ask, but it is better if they can be specific in how they can help.
Show up
This executive has been with the organization for four years. Within that time, he held 2 positions at one time for over a year. That’s a lot to juggle and take on! I asked him how he handled that and he said that he just showed up. He was intentional with his time, and worked to grasped what he could. But the biggest thing was to show up and be in the room. Being present back then has helped him today to now focus on his one role and do it well. He has able to wrap his head around the organization and see it as a system. Another key was to be systematic in his day for maximum focus in delivering. But he had to show up.
That is key for all leaders and those they are leading. Physically, Mentally, emotionally, we need to be present. Encouraging others to show up is half the battle towards learning and making a change. The environment we set up needs to invite others to be present. Then, for ourselves, our presence needs to be seen for that culture to generate. In the beginning, it is us turning the wheels for it to get moving, even when we feel tired or defeated. They need to see us there and giving it our best, learning as we go, and the model will influence the way they see the work themselves.
Find the balance
My last question to him was how does he sustain himself through this work. This is a question that I ask a lot of leaders to help shape sustaining methods of my own. In a sense it was defining structure, communication, and objectives. He has certain things he does daily to keep him in order, and he has built communication lines with family and staff to know where to draw the line. Also, having an awareness of his objectives helps him focus on what the right thing is that will move the needle in his work.
Surprisingly, these things are not new for any of us to keep going, but they are important reminders. Having a balance and boundaries are very important for us to stay in the work. As leaders of teams, we need to keep this in mind for our staff to not get burned out. It is ultimately their decision to work outside of their boundaries, but we don’t want to make that an expectation in how work should be done. We want to encourage times to focus on work and times to focus on family. We want to have their work prioritized appropriately rather them being stressed out trying to accomplish everything. We have to step in and create that structure or lines will be crossed and our teams may never come back on their own.
Next Steps
All in all, I am glad I finally had the opportunity to sit down with this executive. I have some takeaways personally and as a leader. I hope that you did too. Whether you are leading teams or leading yourself, these quick tips can give you some context on how to move forward towards the goals at hand.
Let me know which one of these tips resonated with you or how would you practice these concepts in your work space.
You got this and can make this happen!
