By Ola Sage, President and CEO, e-Management
As the founder, president and CEO of a $10M information technology (IT) company, I have learned a few lessons as a leader (mostly through the school of hard knocks) over the last decade. Many of the lessons I learned have very little to do with IT or the company itself. Surprised? I offer these lessons, many of which I’ve had to relearn several times, in hopes that you or someone you know, will benefit vicariously from my experiences.
Ballroom dancing is how I release stress. What’s your favorite way to unwind?
Lesson #1 – Know yourself.
Unless you never have to interact with employees, vendors, partners, or customers, my number 1 lesson – Know Yourself – will come early and often. Inevitably, people will push your buttons, especially those who you interact with regularly or are close to you. Sometimes the struggle can be as simple as the freedom to say “no” to a request that you are unable or unwilling to meet. It can be facing a personal fear about a choice that is to be made or regret about the consequences of a bad decision.
So, do you know who you are? There are a variety of survey instruments out there (e.g., Myers Briggs, DiSC, Kolbe) that can help add to your awareness of your cognitive skills, personality traits, and affective behaviors that influence how we show up at work. There is no such thing as “leaving your personal life at home.”
Knowing yourself frees you to be who you are regardless of the people or circumstances around you.
Lesson #2 – Get organized.
I generally consider myself a pretty organized person. However, about 2 years ago, I found myself sitting at my desk one Saturday morning (that was the first problem) with several high stacks of paper on my desk. For about 10 minutes, my mind raced back and forth about where to start, what to do with this pile of stuff off my desk, etc., etc. I was stuck. After about 15 minutes of literally sitting there frozen, I turned around to my computer and typed the only words I could come up with at the time “professional organizer.” I had no idea what to expect. To my amazement, a whole boatload of links came up, among them, the Who knew?
To cut a long story short, a few weeks later, after researching and interviewing several companies, Laura showed up and helped “save my mind.” One of the most powerful takeaways from that experience was learning about and implementing a personal time map. This allowed me and those working with me to have more definition around my work availability as well as incorporate personal activities that I kept pushing out or off. What a relief!
Lesson #3 – Dance (or whatever it is that frees your mind)!
Running an IT company, or for that matter, leading any group of people especially in these difficult economic times can be extremely stressful. Anyone out there feel the same way? It shows up differently in people. But make no mistake, it shows up. Sometimes it is expressed outwardly in the way we respond to or treat people. Sometimes it shows up in our health…or lack of it. You must (I cannot underscore this enough), find some way to release stress. And yes, this message is for me as well. The Washington Post reported that 54% of Americans are concerned about the levels of stress in their everyday lives, and 62% reported that work has a significant impact on stress levels. And that was in 2007! I wonder what the numbers would look like today.
The Mayo Clinic staff published an article on September 11, 2010 titled “Stress: Constant Stress Puts Your Health at Risk.” In addition to the emotional and behavioral aspects of stress, the article cites numerous health problems, including heart disease, sleep problems, digestive problems, depression, obesity, memory impairment, etc. My remedy is ballroom dancing. What’s yours?
Lesson #4 – Surround yourself with smart and wise people.
My executive coach once offered me some sage (no pun intended) advice. He said “You are the average of the 10 people you spend the most time with.” Notice I said “smart and wise people.” Not all smart people are wise. This is especially true in business. Who is on your Fav 10 list?
Lesson #5 – Love yourself. First.
Contrary to what you might think, this is not about being selfish or self-centered. This is ALL about self-care. On your next flight, pay attention to the instructions the flight attendants give about what to do in the unlikely event that there is a decrease in oxygen pressure and the oxygen masks drop down. You’ll notice they say something like “If you are travelling with a child (or someone who needs help), put your oxygen mask on first, before you help the other person.” If you’re not breathing, you can’t help anyone else. So it is with us. If we don’t love ourselves first, we won’t have anything to give. Unfortunately, this is one lesson, I continue to learn and relearn. One suggestion that has helped me is to define and understand my priorities. For many of us—yours truly—included, we say our health is priority, but then do we really take care of ourselves? What are we eating, drinking, etc.? Do we exercise regularly? When was the last time you took a vacation? Love Yourself. First!
Are you ready to sound off?
These are only 5 of my Top 10 lessons learned. I am interested in your thoughts and experiences. What is your leadership style? What lessons have you learned? Do you know what triggers your hot buttons? Do you have a personal time map? Who supports your goals whether personal or professional? What tips do you have for “self-care” as a leader? I look forward to your comments, and invite you back next week for the final segment of this 2-part posting.
