In my previous article I talked about it being possible for all leaders to Love Leading. Actually, I’d argue that it’s crucial that leaders Love Leading. It’s when you love what you do that you perform at your best and achieve the results you know are possible. 

To  recap, when you Love Leading, you’re able to turn up for your teams and company with the vision, energy, creativity and problem-solving to sustain high performance despite the challenges, pressure and chaos. 

Leadership that energises you instead of drains you. You’re intentional as opposed to reacting all the time. You’re not being distracted, you’re controlling what you can control and spending time on the things that matter and generate results. You’re not working more but you are having more impact.

Sounds simple, right? 

In this article, I’m going to describe the roadmap for getting there. It’s a high-level overview.

According to my research and  experience, there are three main pillars: your high-performing self, your unique leadership and empowering your team.  

But rather than this being a generic programme, I create a space that’s entirely yours. It depends on your individual challenges, opportunities and goals. 

Now let’s take a brief look at each pillar in turn. 

Self mastery

The ultimate question behind this pillar is: what do you need to perform at your best? 

What do you need to do to keep your battery topped up? This includes activities outside of work and it requires intentionality. It doesn’t happen on its own. 

If I take myself as an example, I know that I need a morning routine that includes a short meditation, some yoga/stretching and a short journaling session. I need to do a few short breathing exercises throughout my day. I need some control over my diary/how I spend my time which includes clear focus time and to take time off for lunch (this might include a short run at lunchtime). And so on. 

This is what keeps me energised and it looks different for everyone. The key for me has been working out what words for me, largely through trial and error, and then being intentional and consistent. It has been life changing.

This first pillar is so often neglected in leadership training and we can’t skip it! It’s just as important as the other two pillars. 

Your unique leadership

The core question here is: how do you have the most impact possible based on your style, strengths and experience? 

What does great leadership mean to you? What are your purpose and values? What are your superstrengths and what do you love doing? Are you intentional about how you spend your time to have the most impact? Does your leadership team have complementary strengths to you? What are your limiting beliefs? Are you emotionally regulated? How can you craft your leadership role to better suit your super strengths and have even more impact?

For me, being aware of my Zone of Impact (where my super strengths collide with what gives me the most energy) allowed me to be intentional about how I spent my time as a Managing Director to have the most impact and be clear on what to delegate. It also allowed me to better identify the profiles of the people I needed in my leadership team to achieve results. 

By going deep, and really understanding yourself as a leader, you’re better able to lead others. 

Empowering your team

The foundational question here is: how do I ensure my team is performing at its best, in a sustained way?

Is the north star clear? Does everyone understand the mission, purpose and values? (could they repeat them back to you?) Are they being lived? Is the strategy clear? What culture is being created? How am I creating an environment for sustainable high-performance? Are the team’s performance and behaviours aligned with my expectations? Is there psychological safety? Are there personnel issues? What’s the attitude to failure? Are difficult conversations supported and encouraged? 

As the leader, we often think the purpose and strategy are clear and obvious because we live it every day. A number of years ago I decided to ask people in different departments their views. It was revealing! What felt obvious to me wasn’t for everyone. Communication and therefore clarity was lacking, and that was on me and my leadership team. Improving this led to better tactics, decision-making and ultimately performance and results. Seems basic but sometimes we take the basic things for granted. Guilty as charged.   

Whereas the first two pillars are focused inwards, this third one is externally focused. Really thinking about the team and performance.  

To Love Leading is about performance, results and impact. 

The point is, taking the time for yourself as a leader to work on this can feel daunting, vulnerable and uncomfortable. I know, I’ve been there. 

As a Managing Director and CEO, I was sceptical about working with a coach. I felt like I simply didn’t have enough time. But I also felt like something was off and despite all of the leadership podcasts and books I was reading, I knew I wasn’t performing at my best. And I didn’t know how to fix it. 

Working with a coach unlocked it. For me, it was about managing my energy levels so that I didn’t finish each day exhausted. I still had more to give for thinking creatively and strategically, for my team, but also, and importantly, for myself and my loved ones. It was also about focusing on what I could control. How I, with my unique strengths and experience, could have the most impact and prioritise accordingly. And while I’d always considered myself very self-aware, there were some clear gaps.

Quite honestly, the experience transformed me and I was able to perform at my best in a sustained way. The performance of my team and company also went from strength to strength to strength. 

It comes back to this:

When we love leading, everyone performs better.

Put yourself first. That’s how great leaders serve.

Stop doing more. Make more impact.

Don’t just lead. Love leading.