Reclaim What Matters The Most

We met at the Post Office, which is a very common thing in small town life. After catching up about the weather and how our families were all doing, he shared that he and his wife had recently gone out to dinner with a colleague and his wife. After 2 hours, he reported to me “we were done. It was so loud in the restaurant where they met and we worried whether or not this was a good choice given the Delta variant. On the way home, we realized that we had to relearn how to re-socialize with people in public settings.” I think this is more common than we care to admit and an issue many people are experiencing on a regular basis.

So, how do we recover from all we have been through these last two years?

As I have pondered this question, I am reminded of a question I often ask people in the From Vision to Action Leadership Training, namely what do you do as a leader that matters the most? I don’t think we really think deeply about this question. Often, our answers are just knee jerk reactions rather than thoughtful responses. I believe this happens because we have been scripted to meet unrealistic expectations. Some of these expectations have been thrust upon us by others and some we have set upon ourselves.

In life’s journey, I have learned that we can not be all things to all people. We need to be clear about what it is that only we can do. And we need to be clear about what adds meaning to our life. In short, during this recovery, we need to ask ourselves two important questions:

- What do I do in my life that really matters the most?

- What makes my life more meaningful?

Ron Heifetz, Alexander Glasgow, and Marty Linsky in their excellent article called  “Leadership in a (Permanent) Crisis” in the July-August 2009 issue of the the Harvard Business Review write: “Don’t lose yourself in your role. Defining life through a single endeavor, no matter how important your work is to you and to others, makes you vulnerable when the environment shifts. It also denies you other opportunities for fulfillment.”

This week, I encourage you to answer the above two questions. It will help you be well prepared for the upcoming holidays and the new year.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257