Moving from power over to power with.
If you consider yourself a conscious & courageous leader, then you likely know this time is calling us to weigh in on the often insidious and unconscious behavior that I refer to as “leadership bypassing”.
Leadership bypassing is a tendency to use leadership programs, terms, or concepts in order to avoid any real change for self, teams and beyond.
Below are 9 leadership bypassing behaviors that I have identified in my coaching practice and certainly have been guilty of myself in the past.
I invite you to review and consider them. Then, courageously acknowledge them and take committed action.
You can also choose to bypass them, justify them or deny them. Doing some of these, some of the time, provides great opportunity to choose to do none of these, all of the time.
This is what the calling is all about because leadership has no boundaries.
I believe, you either are a leader or you’re not. However, in this very new time, I also believe that everyone is being called to cultivate their inner leader and lead themselves and then help others lead.
Initially my clients are amazed as they become aware of these leadership bypassing behaviors. However, with expert support, they quickly experience a turning point and courageously come into their true power to authentically lead, often for the first time in their careers.
The truth shall set you free~Are you willing?
Nine Leadership Bypassing Behaviors and Assumptions:
1.You have “the title” and assume therefore you are a leader.
2. You spend most of your time working in the business versus on the business, creating
missed opportunities, lack of innovation, staffing and relational problems.
3. You check the box by hosting leadership empowerment and development programs, a task
force, or masterminds. The information never really becomes applied and integrated
knowledge or it may be executed for a few weeks and then fizzles out.
Hence, nothing really changes.
4. You lead within the Drama Triangle, yet have no awareness that you and your team are in it.
Hence, the culture is in the chronic chaos of survivor mode.
5. You are unaware of your passive-aggressive tendencies and the ripple effect this has on
your team and the bottom line. You lead from power over versus power with.
6. You assume you don’t need coaching and that it’s everyone else that does.
7. You are trapped by your own thinking and often become defensive or critical should
someone challenge it.
8. You assume you know what is going on yet you unknowingly operate from Level 0 or 1
awareness and therefore are the primary contributor to an unhealthy culture.
9. You have a tendency to judge, blame or criticize others rather than taking the time
to teach and empower.
If you read these 9 behaviors and thought something along the lines of,
“well, I’m hitting or exceeding our target financial goals so everything is great.”
This doesn’t mean you’re a leader.
I predict in the very near future, so-called leaders who continue to ignore leadership bypassing, will, as with the lion, somehow be replaced.
The good news is that it doesn’t need to be this way and I can show you how.
