A Guide for Leaders of Leaders
I've spent a lot of time writing personal development blogs for leaders. But what happens when you're not just a leader, but a leader of leaders? Your challenges suddenly become two-fold - you're dealing with your own issues, and you're also responsible for guiding and supporting your team of leaders. How do you navigate this complex terrain effectively?
The Dual Challenges of Leading Leaders
As a leader of leaders, you're confronted with a unique set of hurdles, such as managing different leadership styles, resolving conflicts, and handling competing agendas. These challenges demand more than just basic leadership skills - they require emotional intelligence and strong communication abilities.
The Mirror Effect
Think of your relationships with other leaders as mirrors. Leading leaders can be particularly tricky because they're in a similar position to you, facing relatable challenges. Sometimes, these relationships can feel like a reflection of yourself, which can be both enlightening and challenging.
Furthermore, your team, especially if it's made up of leaders, reflects your leadership style and values. So, the journey of leading, growing, and inspiring your leaders begins with you.
The Importance of Self-Mastery
Self-mastery is at the core of effective leadership, and it's one of the 5 Pillars of Inspirational Leadership that I teach and coach around. Over my 11 years of working with veterinary leaders, I've identified five key areas that, when focused on, lead to thriving leadership. Self-mastery is crucial because it's tough to positively influence others if you haven't mastered yourself.
By committing to your own personal development, you set the standard for others to follow. In addition to continuous growth, extreme accountability is vital. Being accountable for your actions fosters trust among leaders, creating a culture of integrity and responsibility.
Patience and Persistence
Remember what it felt like when you were mastering a skill for the first time? Leading new leaders, who might be navigating a steep learning curve transitioning from vet to leader, can be similar. As a seasoned leader (even if you don't always feel like one!), it's natural to feel frustrated or impatient when others don't grasp things immediately. But it's important to remember that our best leadership lessons often come from making mistakes. Even experienced leaders face their own set of challenges and obstacles, such as adapting to changes in the industry or overcoming established habits and mindsets. Embracing patience and persistence is key to navigating these challenges and continuing to grow as a leader.
The Power of Support
Leading leaders is a multifaceted role that requires wearing many hats - from being a leader and mentor to a coach and personal confidant. Leadership can be lonely, and leading leaders can exacerbate that sense of isolation. With the weight of responsibility resting heavily on your shoulders, having your own support system makes all the difference.
In The Hero’s Journey, a metaphorical tool especially helpful for personal and professional development, a key stage of the hero’s journey is meeting their mentor. This person provides guidance and wisdom, validation of your potential, emotional, mental, and spiritual support, and reconnects you to your core mission, values, and vision whenever you veer off course. They also help with vital skill development and provide you access to new perspectives, skills, tools, and insights that aren’t available if you try to do this on your own.
For leaders leading leaders, meeting their mentor often takes the form of a leadership coach. A leadership coach serves as a trusted advisor and guide, offering tailored support to navigate the complexities of leadership and the profound personal growth journey that accompanies it.
If you're a leader of leaders, my message to you is - you don't have to do this on your own :-)
You may also be interested in: Nurturing Internal Talent: The Art of Growing Your Own Leaders (simplyveterinarycoaching.com)
