How to Work Smarter in Your Leadership Role
We all know the saying "Work smarter, not harder." Great advice, right? But sometimes we just don’t follow it.
When we’re stepping up the corporate ladder; being promoted into leadership roles; many of us feel the need to work harder and longer hours. We keep adding more and more things to do into our already busy lives.
So, why do we do this?
Reason 1: Mindset
The old imposter syndrome. You think that you have to keep proving yourself to others. You feel anxious; like you’re not good enough. Your solution? Just put your head down and work as hard as you possibly can.
Reason 2: Skillset
You’ve been promoted to a leadership role and you simply don’t know what you should be doing. You haven’t been given any effective leadership training. Your solution? Fall back on what you know. You keep doing your old job, as well as your new responsibilities.
The Result
You’re stressed. You’re not getting the results you want. You’re burnt out. You think you’re not cut out to be a leader.
Noooooo! You can be a leader; you can step up into that next promotion; you’ve just got to work smarter.
Write a stop list. These are things that you’re going to stop doing right now. This means learning how to effectively delegate and plan. It means giving up perfectionism, and the belief that your way is the only way to do things.
Play to your strengths. If you don't know what your leadership magic is, your first job is to find out. Only do things that add high value.
Improve your processes. Take a time-out to map and critically evaluate how you're doing things in your role and in your team. Streamline those processes. Make the best use of your time. Batch tasks and work efficiently.
Invest in your people. You need the right people doing the right things at the right time. Discover the talent in your team and develop it. Be smart with your recruitment choices.
Rest and rejuvenate. Take time out so that you can show up every day in your leadership role feeling refreshed and ready.
You don’t have to work harder in your role. Leadership is about playing the long game. It's also about having fun; waking up every day and being excited about what you’re going to achieve. And yes, it might challenge you; it might be tough at times, but it’s still fun. It's still the role that you want to turn up to every single day.
Champagne and Sunshine,
Midja x