At some point after reaching a level of success, the people around you will start expecting you to know all the answers. Because of your unique experience, quite often you will have the answers. However, inevitably there will be situations in which you won’t.
If you’re like most leaders, you will likely find it difficult to disappoint the ones asking by saying, “I don’t know.” As time goes by that can lead to stress, a feeling of being a fraud, and a general sense of discomfort. Unchecked, these feelings can lead to distancing oneself from others, not being collaborative and setting the stage for making bad business decisions.
That’s why I think the episode “The Scared Child in Every Leader” from Alex Blumberg’s Without Fail podcast is a must-listen for all business leaders. In this episode, Jerry Colonna opens up and describes his transformation from jet-setting venture capitalist to executive coach. It’s a story of heartbreak and challenges followed by realization and self-awareness. I found it particularly insightful when they discuss how influences from our early experiences shape our thinking and how if we are aware of them, we can be much wiser and mindful in modulating our impulses.
Of course, it’s great if you can afford a personal executive coach. However, if you don’t have one, check out the Trust Review exercise in icube™. In it, team members help each other by providing insight on blind-spots, which are behaviors that others see, but of which we are unaware. These realizations often put them on the path to being more self-aware and ultimately wiser and more effective leaders.
Venture Perfect describes icube™ a business leadership system designed to maximize teamwork and profit in any company. icube™ teaches leaders how to create powerful systems and structures that foster an inspiring culture, an intelligent strategy, and intense execution for long-term sustainability.