Years ago, I remember sitting in traffic thinking about the employees at work. Why can’t they just do what they are supposed to do?
I reached into the center compartment that held my bottle of antacids and ate a few. I fantasized about going to a faraway place where there was no phone, no computer, no irritating people.
Then the light turned green, and I came back down to reality.
My reality was that I felt completely trapped and stuck! I wasn’t getting the results from my employees that I needed and didn’t know what to do.
This was a turning point. I hired a coach, learned a lot about my leadership style and haven’t looked back since! Now, I share the process I went through with others and want to give you a glimpse into your new reality.
Breaking Free Your Current Reality: How Awareness, Acceptance, and Action Lead to Success
Leaders who seek coaching know that SOMETHING has to change but might not know what it is or how to do it. That’s where I was at that point in my career.
Most of my clients overcome challenges and reach their full potential by understanding their leadership style and their impact on others. In order to do that, we focus on three pillars of leadership; awareness, acceptance, and action.
Now, let’s take a deeper look at those three pillars.
Acknowledging the Elephant in the Room: The Importance of Admitting There is a Problem
As simple as this sounds, the first step is often just admitting there is a problem. Simple but not easy, awareness is the foundation of personal and professional growth. Let me give you an example.
I had a client several years ago who ran a small business – we’ll call her Suzy Q.
Suzy Q was a wonderful woman, but she had some habits that put a wall up between her and her employees. Most of it was body language, tone of voice, harsh communication style, etc.
Rather than making requests, her employees’ perception was that she was ordering them around and insensitive to their needs.
Suzy Q was completely unaware of how her style impacted her employees’ productivity and performance.
Think of your peers, teams, or even clients or customers. Are you aware of your leadership strengths? Would changing your style of leadership also change the results you get?
By developing greater AWARENESS, you can identify patterns holding you back from being a great leader.
Once you know better, you can do better. Let’s take a look at the next pillar.
Breaking Down Barriers: The Power of Acceptance in Overcoming Obstacles
Once people have an idea of what is working and what isn’t, they can start to break down barriers and overcome obstacles using tools in the second pillar of ACCEPTANCE. Some leaders struggle with acceptance because it means uncertainty and letting go of control. That can feel uncomfortable and scary.
Let’s see how Suzi Q used some of the tools in this pillar.
One thing that we quickly uncovered was her fear of letting others see her vulnerabilities. Her instincts to protect herself were the reason she unknowingly pushed people away.
Like many leaders, it was difficult for Suzy Q to accept flaws and imperfections, especially since she was conditioned to believe that anything less than perfect was unacceptable. But by accepting herself as she was, she could begin to move beyond her self-imposed limitations and start to embrace her full potential.
Small Steps, Big Impact: Taking Action One Step at A Time
Finally! Now it is time to move into ACTION. But there’s one you need to keep in mind.
As entrepreneurs, our tendency will be to try to change the world in one fell swoop.
Action is the key to turning awareness and acceptance into attainable, consistent results. Let’s see what Suzy Q did and what her results were.
Suzy Q set small, realistic goals and developed new habits. Effective communication was the most difficult but she learned and practiced new techniques through coaching. By instituting a daily routine, she was able to access them intuitively in the moments when they were most needed.
By shifting how she communicated at work, she saw tremendous changes in her personal relationships too. Where she once considered herself a wallflower, she now stepped into leadership roles, both in and out of the office, with confidence and excitement.
In summary, the rewards of working through the three pillars of awareness, acceptance, and action in a coaching program can be transformative for business professionals. By incorporating and practicing these coaching tools, they can overcome the restlessness, irritability, and discontentment caused by destructive beliefs and habits. Ultimately, finding more fulfillment and success in everything they do.