LEADERS LEARN FROM PRINCESS ELSA
Leaders Learn from Elsa
My wife and I are blessed to have two wonderful young granddaughters. The four-year-old is already a Disneyphile. She has been to Disney World twice and loves all the Disney princesses. She has watched Disney movies so frequently that she has memorized the lyrics to dozens of songs.
I was reminded of her passion for Disney heroines this past week when I was doing an initial coaching session with a recently promoted executive. In establishing rapport with this new client, I asked her what her biggest challenges were after commencing her new job.
In articulating those challenges, she mentioned one that reminded me of Princess Elsa from the Disney classic “Frozen.” She said, “ I have real trouble letting go.”
Of course, “Let It Go” is a famous song from “Frozen” and it also represents a significant challenge for team members who receive a promotion and are asked to take on a new set of responsibilities. To do so, usually they are faced with an important question:
“What do I have to let go of in order to take on all my new responsibilities and do them well?”
Too often new leaders are fearful or reluctant to let things go for a variety of reasons:
-They enjoy a particular responsibility
-They think they are most skilled at performing a task
-They do not look forward to training other teammates to do the work
-They have spent considerable time learning the skill involved
-They are not sure who is best suited to take on the project
Leaders who fall back upon one or more of these reasons for not “letting go” are putting a premium on the short-term instead of focusing on the long-term perspective. When they become the leader of the team, the office or the department, they are being promoted for a reason. That reason is those executives doing the decision making believe they are the very best person to perform the job and serve as the leader.
Those decision makers assume that the new leader will do everything she can to create and maintain a positive, team-based culture, to put the right people in the right positions and to use the correct metrics to measure progress and success.
So, whether you are a new leader or an experienced leader at your current position, keep your eye on what is truly most important and how you can be most effective. Pause and ask yourself these questions periodically:
“What am I doing now that I can let go of to help our overall team?”
“Is there anything I am hanging onto now that one of my team members could do as well or more effectively?”
“Am I hanging onto any specific task for selfish or ego-related reasons?”
“What can I let go off that would allow me to be a better leader?”
“Who on my team do I trust sufficiently to check in with and ask about my “letting go” ability?
“Do I feel comfortable checking in with my manager about the issue of “letting go?”
With which professional colleagues do I feel comfortable discussing my “letting go” challenges?
“If I let go of this task, how can I most effectively use my new free time?”
“How can I maintain a written record of the things I “let go” of so that I can measure my accomplishments and enhanced effectiveness?
Please remember that all leaders periodically struggle with letting go of tasks when they receive promotions. It is human nature. We all look forward to aspects of our jobs that we enjoy and at which we know we excel.
It is the wise leaders who realize that “letting go” is part of their own leadership journey, part of their leadership development.
So please follow Princess Elsa’s advice as you traverse your unique leadership path. When in doubt about your next step, “let it go.”
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-Larry