Are You Being the Leader You Want to Be?

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With many managers reporting that they are feeling burnt out, it’s no wonder even well-respected leaders like former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden are finding it hard to be the leaders they want to be. After mustering the energy to cut through the red tape and deal with the endless list of demands, too often there’s nothing left in the tank.

So, how can we be the leaders we want to be when the work required of us feels depleting?

“We need to start by changing the way we define success,” said Halla Tómasdóttir, CEO of The B Team, whom I interviewed recently. "The way we define success in the corporate world has typically been led by maximizing shareholder wealth, which has delivered progress but also created damage for a long time. In contrast, when people see a business being led in a principled way with something that matters to them, it’s not only good for business, but it also helps prevent burnout.”

Tómasdóttir and her colleagues found that leaders who are successful at achieving their desired impact are those who:

• Manage their mindset. The ability to manage one's mindset is crucial to being an effective and principled leader. Leaders cannot lead a transformation in the outer world unless they’re willing to lead a transformation in their own inner world.
• Develop their own moral compass. Leaders who are attuned to their own moral compass can stay resilient in the face of adversity and lead despite the challenges they face. A moral compass gives you clarity on what your purpose and principles in life are. This is something that can take a while to develop and needs to be continually refined as life experiences expand and grow.
• Create a community of courage. When leaders bring together people who share their values, but also challenge them and bring a point of difference in other ways, they will be able to achieve more through the power of the collective. Finding that community of courage and accountability will help leaders to stay focused on their purpose. Connection with others is critical to helping leaders stay true to the course, as we are all social and connected beings.

“It’s time to throw away the old leadership playbooks and expand our ideas on what leadership looks like and where it can come from,” Tómasdóttir explained. To bring this to life, she recommends:

1. Tuning into your moral compass. The first step to accessing and understanding your moral compass is to find a mindfulness practice. Meditation practice is a great place to start, but you could also try going for a walk in nature, jumping on a paddleboard, or even playing with your dog or children. The second step is to start using your compass for every decision you make, even small decisions. This will help you recognize when you’re in alignment with your compass and when you’re not. The more you do this, you’ll realize that being in alignment with your moral compass feels so much better than the alternative, and you’ll find yourself more drawn to it.
2. Tackling conformity by changing who is at the table. Too much “sameness” around your leadership table will prevent you from seeing the real problems you’re facing and developing strategies to solve them. If your leaders all have similar education, work experience, life experience, and socialization, you will all approach the problem from the same perspective. This not only hinders your ability to problem-solve but to innovate as well. Are there ways you can shake up the status quo in leadership in your organization and start to bring in some fresh perspectives? Could you ask young people within the orbit of your organization (staff’s children or relatives, loyal customers, etc.) what’s important to them? This is a powerful way of finding out the key issues for the next generation, which can help to shape your purpose.
3. Thinking about “work-life balance” differently. Rather than thinking about “work-life balance,” can you use your purpose to shift your thinking about work and life as separate, to create a more holistic perspective? If you can leverage meaning to integrate your head, heart, and hands, you will feel more connected to the work, which is a buffer against burnout.

For more from Tómasdóttir, listen to our conversation.