Beginning Where I Started
Recovering the joy of leadership.
What was it like for you?
That first official leadership role.
The excitement.
The uncertainty.
When you first met your team.
The anticipation.
The anxiety.
Do you remember?
I remember.
Just a year or so before I was working as a middle school science teacher trying to navigate earthworm dissections with a group of 12-year-olds.
If no one ended up with a worm stuck in their nostril that was a pretty good day.
A long story later I was a freshly minted, front-line supervisor at what was then the largest bank in the world.
I was full of ideas.
Full of energy.
Full of hope.
And scared out of my mind.
The only preparation I had for my first day at work was powering through a timeless classic in leadership literature titled, “25 Ways to Avoid Being a Terrible Manager”.
I figured at least I knew what not to do.
We were starting up a brand new operation and there were only about 6 employees on the team. Since everyone was new to the company we were all equally dazed and confused.
They handed me a box of business cards embossed with the title “Unit Manager” and a polo shirt with a company logo. I felt like Steve Martin when he finally found his name in the phonebook.
I was ready to take on the world.
Since I didn’t really know what manager was supposed to do I just kept thinking like a teacher. I focused on connecting, building trust and participating in the process of learning our new operation while establishing simple and clear expectations.
Life inside a huge bank could be pretty absurd and crazy but in our little corner of the building, we developed our own committed and caring community.
We created a lot of great memories that still make me smile and in the process built a high performing team. Many of us stayed in touch long after we went our separate ways.
I moved on to many more roles from manager to COO but my internal model of leadership was shaped by the impressions of those early years.
The simple, human elements of leading.
Getting to know each other.
Learning together.
Setting goals.
Breaking through carriers.
Playing with new ideas.
Laughing at the craziness.
Celebrating our achievements.
Overcoming the disappointments.
Sharing our stories.
In the present, when it feels like a grind and the responsibilities and pressure are piling up, I try to reconnect to those simple joys of leadership.
When I didn’t know what I didn’t know and I wasn’t yet jaded by some of the tough experiences that would come later.
I remind myself why I’m here and where I find my inspiration. When I can’t change my circumstances I try to change my perspective.
Where do you find your inspiration and passion?
Do you remember your first or best leadership experiences?
Do you remember when you were excited about the challenge of leading?
What made it that way for you?
Stay connected to those times when you felt excited and engaged as a leader. Let them remind you why you do what you do and how far you have come. If you’ve let some of those elements fall by the wayside, bring them back into your present leadership experience.
Maybe you just need to begin where you started.
