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How to manage better by stepping back to move forward

Guest post by: Christiane Pohl

Article Overview: How taking time off to reflect on what works and what does not can help a busy leader in solving work related issues and take appropriate actions.

How to manage better by stepping back to move forward

It was about 15 years ago when for the first time in my working life I stopped doing. I had been on holidays of course but this time it was different. It was the beginning of a journey that hasn't stopped since.

I had been working pretty much non-stop since I was 17. There had been some difficult times, but overall I had fun and enjoyed what I was doing. I loved teamwork and living in different countries so hotel management seemed perfect for me.

Now I had come to Greece and for the first time I was at a loss about what to do. People seemed to work differently here and I observed myself getting more and more stressed without achieving the desired result. My 'managing skills' as I knew them appeared useless.

I had been promoted to an executive position and was eager to prove that I was the right person for the job. It had been a year and I felt that I had to take some drastic steps.

And finally I did. I had the inspiration to ask for two weeks leave. I went home and sat on my couch. During the first few days I just stared out of the window, listened to the sounds of the building, the street, birds.

The first glimpse of awareness came around day 5. I had been observing the clouds forming and it suddenly dawned on me that some of my colleagues seemed rarely stressed; they were going home at reasonable hours when I felt it was necessary to work late every day. I had in the past condemned them for being lazy, but suddenly it dawned in me that maybe they got it right.

What was the source of my stress? Why was I not able to motivate the people around me? How were they different? For a moment I was able to stand back from my own mind and gain a deeper perspective. There was a brief shift from thinking to awareness and I realized that the key difference was perception.

In my head it was all about me, about the way I was perceived by others AND the way I perceived myself. The desire to succeed had given birth to the fear of failure. I had become very self-centered and had lost the ability to connect. I had become a slave to my own image of how I should behave in my new position and had stopped trusting my intuitions. Instead of being a leader I was merely managing.

I was still sitting on my couch and in a moment of detachment I started to smile. 'Life isn't as serious as my mind has made it out to be'. And I realized that this was what some of my Greek colleagues knew already.

Suddenly I felt there was space. I felt no longer trapped. I started to look at my work situation with a sense of curiosity. Suddenly, I knew what I had to do: • I would start caring about the people around me. I would spend time connecting to the people, get to know them, their ideas, their worries, their dreams

• I would focus on what I wanted to achieve without getting attached to the outcome. That meant that I would speak up in a clear and passionate way, but would not take it personally when others had different opinions or choose different ways

• I would delegate more work and ensure that others could and would take ownership. I would support them and coach them to find their own solutions.

• I would train the other department heads in how to use coaching rather then commanding.

• I would trust my intuition and take time to reflect again and again

It was the start to a new me and a new work experience. I got to know my colleagues and other employees, their ideas, fears and family situations. I stopped complaining and judging in public and stayed focused on what I wanted to achieve. After a while I too was able to leave most days at 5 pm.

'Not doing' for a short time had helped me to do a lot more in the long run. I never forgot this lesson. Soon after I was introduced to meditation and since then have found it to be a valuable asset in my busy life.

Becoming still, Creating Space, stepping back are key elements to Becoming More effective.

With my best wishes,

Christiane Pohl

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Article Tags: leadership development, personal development, stress management



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