Yesterday, in response to my asking about goals, a client—someone I know well beyond the coaching context—said something that left me both touched and flustered. They said, "I want to work for someone like you. Is that a goal?" I found myself sputtering a bit, not quite sure how to respond because, well, it's been a long week and their words hit me right in the feels. So, here's what I would say if I had a do-over.
A Rough Start
I never intended to be a leader of people. As a matter of fact, if I were in a 12-step program, I'd need to make amends to all the people who worked for me early in my career. I was awful as a manager and certainly couldn't have been called a leader—a title which I hold in great esteem.
Instead, I was a real pain in the ass. If a team member couldn't do things as fast as me or as accurately as me...hell, if they did it in any way different than me...I would swoop in and take things away under the guise of "I can just do this faster myself."
I cringe just thinking about it. If I close my eyes, I can clearly see the guy who worked for me who used to try to slink past my office because he was terrified I'd take his work away from him. It wasn't a good look.
Years later, my dream job (which I never got the chance to do) at Amazon was being a technical advisor (the ultimate influence without people management Lone Wolf job) to Matt Swan. I knew I'd been a bad manager and never ever wanted to do that to others...or myself again. But I loved technology, I loved ideas, and I loved being with smart people influencing them in the right direction.
Fate (aka my boss at the time) Intervenes
Then came the requests to scale myself. The clear messages that I would not grow or accelerate my career if I didn't learn to lead. And thank the sweet Baby Jesus in a manger, by then I had done a lot of self-reflection, had had a mix of terrible and great bosses to emulate...and the hours of therapy didn't hurt either.
As it would turn out, I wasn’t so terrible at leading people. I just needed to grow up, learn a lot, and give a shit. Things I hadn’t yet done the first time around as a manager.
I Am Batman…or Something Like That
I spent the last eight or so years of my career in ever-increasing leadership roles. While building strategy is my professional specialty, loving humans and crafting high-performing teams is my passion. So much so that I even got a master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga (Go Zags!) during the pandemic so I could back what I'd learned on the job with theory.
In the end, leading people became one of my superpowers and the joy of my life. And that spirit is what led me to coaching. It is also what inspired me to create the Leadership Alchemy program.
If you (or a person or team you know) are looking to grow your leadership skills, understand the nuances of team dynamics, and develop a passion for people, I invite you to check out the Leadership Alchemy program or schedule a free consultation to discuss.
Keep it fun. Keep it challenging. Keep it heart-centered.
L