The Time I Had To Face The Music As A Leader

That day in March started out like many other typical days at the office. I imagine that on the winding drive in from the entrance to the corporate headquarters there were signs of spring in the Carolina's. Azaleas beginning to bloom and Bradford Pear trees bursting with white blossoms, all together creating a sense of growth and excitement in the air. Spring sends a strong signal of new beginnings, doesn't it? A true symphony of hope emerging.

I had recently sent an impromptu questionnaire to the four department Directors who reported to me. When I put the questions together, I couldn't help but think about how good of a job I was doing as a leader. As a team, we were winning as far as I could tell.. An organizational restructuring earlier in the year had changed our direction. We collaborated to build new operational plans, redefined roles and responsibilities, and proposed a series of initiatives to our Executive Team. In my mind, we were at the top of our game. I would have told you then that I was dialed in and we were firing on all cylinders. In fact, I was so confident things were going well that I believed sending the team a set of questions asking how I could improve as a leader would result in their verbally supporting my leadership. Maybe there would be a few tweaks needed, but I figured the act itself would be a good demonstration of my continuous concern for the team. Win-win! At the time, I would not have admitted the real reasons behind the questionnaire. Instead, I would have told you I wanted to improve as a leader! However, growing my leadership wasn't truly the motivation at all.

Through email, I asked my team how well defined their roles were, how empowered they believed they were to make decisions, and requested they identify things I should either start, stop, or continue doing as the leader to make them more effective in their job. Later that morning as I sat at my desk, I began to receive email responses from each team member. You know that adrenaline rush you get when you know something good is coming your way and how you can feel enthusiasm bubbling up inside? This was me! Energized is one way to describe it. That's the way I felt just before opening the first response. Here's what I read, “I’m going out on a limb here. You asked me to be honest, not make you feel good, so that's how I answered."

Huh, not exactly what I was expecting but not a lost cause either. They probably have had other people long ago say they wanted feedback, and if what they provided was even loosely tied to pointing out another leaders flaws, it may have come back to bite them. As I read…I thought, "they’re overreacting. I'm not that kind of a leader and what they shared can't be THAT bad, right?" Right.

The remainder of the reviews of my leadership weren't much better. In fact, they were worse, One by one I read through answers my team provided that day. "You're a great guy, but I really don't think you’re the type of leader who can lead me very well.", "I've worked for you a long time and telling you these things isn't easy for me.", "You say you believe in the team but I never feel like you trust me to do my job." (Join my Leadership Transformation Roundtable to get your copy of the questionnaire I used and discover where you stand with your team.)

I remember feeling like I was in a bad dream. As I sat at my desk at the end of the day, I didn't want to leave the office. I kept clicking back and forth between individual responses. Rereading all of the ugly details of the impact I was having on the people I was “leading”. But, it was too bad to not look. Like a scene in a movie where you are drawn to it for all of the wrong reasons, but you can't look away either! I was shocked, numb, and dazed. My heart was racing and I was experiencing a cold sweat all at once. The feeling you get when you have the flu.
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What did I see? I saw that I wasn't an effective communicator, I was a know it all. I wasn't an inspiration, I was a morale killer. I wasn't empowering people, I was controlling them. I wasn't building a strong culture, I was poisoning it. I saw that I had been blind to the truth of my leadership impact on the team. In drastic contrast to the freshness of spring, seen in the blooms and the blossoms from earlier that morning, I was now facing the harsh reality of pruning. Eve though pruning allows for new growth to occur, its still hard to turn and face the music. I had a lot of dead branches that needed to be cut away in order for new and healthier fruit to emerge. It all started with that one questionnaire. This was the moment I realized something had to change and that something was me!

The entire experience sent me on a journey to discover the truth about my leadership. It drove me to define a path for eliminating the habits I was comfortable with and building new habits that bring out the best in others. It drove me to define and eliminate my limiting beliefs that were keeping me and others from achieving our personal best. In fact, it drove me to pursue developing myself as a leader where I would learn how to put my intentions as a leader on the chopping block, realizing it's only my actions that people experience. I learned that aspirations as a leader never trump the actions of a leader when it comes to your character and the connection you make with others. A journey that, now looking back, was a catalyst for me becoming uniquely qualified as an executive coach to help others do the same.

I've walked the road of leadership transformation. It's not something I can just sympathize with you about, it's something I can identify with. I've literally been there! I know the fear that invades your mind and heart when you discover that you aren't who you thought you were in the eyes of those closest to you at work. I understand what you mean when you say, "I'm so embarrassed to hear how I've impacted the team!" I know what it is like to be stuck wondering, "How in the world do I make this right?" I know, I've been there, too. And, I know the way through to the other side. I've walked the path of transformation and now I'm here looking to guide others who want to do the same. I can't do it for you but I can be with you each step of the way, helping you navigate based on my familiarity with what's required to create lasting change.

I've made it my mission to help others build a bridge across that cavernous gap between where they are now and where they want to be as a leader. I'm not satisfied with having built a single bridge across for myself. I want to help others, like you, to build their own bridge. I want to help you experience the clarity, confidence, and conviction that I know exists on the other side! You'll have renewed passion, you'll see new opportunities, and you'll access untapped potential to increase your business results. If you want to take responsibility for leading yourself and you're done blaming others as a way to dismiss problems you've created, then you're ready to start your own journey towards transforming your leadership. When you're stunned by your teams feedback, you wont have to figure it out on your own. I'll come alongside you. We'll start with a free 20 minute strategy session that will give you a clear understanding of how executive coaching can deliver the results you're seeking. You can schedule your session right here.

W. Shane McKenzie is an executive coach who helps leaders achieve greater effectiveness and become more fulfilled in their work by facilitating positive changes in their leadership behaviors. Join the Leadership Transformation Roundtable to get your copy of the questionnaire I used and discover where you stand with your team

What others are saying about W. Shane McKenzie

"I’ve worked with Shane for several years. He possesses a unique and highly effective combination of strategy, team leader and great communicator. A rare combination. He has a very strategic mind so he makes connections and sees disjointed paths where others do not. This allows him to both plot direction and execute the path to success. He’s truly committed to the greatness in others. He listens fully, asks the right questions at the right time, and gives us the space to both think and respond." - Linda Lindquist-Bishop, Strategic Facilitator, Speaker, Exit Planning for Business Owners, and World Champion Athlete

“Shane is a trusted peer whose advice I seek when faced with leadership challenges. He brings clarity to tough situations and has been an objective sounding board for over 14 years!” – Pamela Westbrooks, Vice President of Administration

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