On Tuesday, March 28, 2017, my family grew by two feet….10 fingers and 10 toes. Corey, big brother, Jeb and I welcomed a healthy baby boy, McCoy Lee Keisler, into our lives. The last four weeks transitioning from two-on-one defense to man-to-man coverage in the Keisler household has been a complete whirlwind, but also an overwhelmingly special time of reflection for me as a mother.
As a salute to my fellow moms, I’d like to express four lessons in leadership that have been reinforced to me over the past four weeks of maternity leave.
- Prepare yourself and your team for change but know that you can never be fully prepared.
You can read every page of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”, follow mom blogs religiously, buy the latest and greatest BSE (what our family refers to as “Baby Support Equipment’), but moments of “what in the world do I do?” are inevitable.
The art of change management is not one-sized fits all. You can work diligently to prepare yourself and your team, but ultimately, leaders understand that dealing with change is not “one size fits all.” You and your teams will proceed through the “change cycle” at his or her own pace, which starts with feelings of loss, then doubt, then discomfort, followed by discovery, understanding, and finally integration. - Good enough is sometimes enough. Failure is inevitable. There’s always tomorrow.
As a mom, I’ve experienced “Mom of the Year” moments, followed by #momfail moments when I’ve wondered why I was allowed to procreate. But guess what? Like in leadership, failure can serve as both a learning experience and an opportunity in disguise. Tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to start fresh, learn from adversity and grow. - See what they see – you will be all the better for it.
I have found that my most rewarding experiences as a mother have come through intentionally slowing down and seeing the world through my littles’ eyes. Trust me, as a mom of a two year old, I see lots of crawling and flying creatures, dainty flowers (which quickly meet their fate by the bottom of a shoe – we’re still working on “being gentle”), and every backhoe or excavator within eyeshot. More importantly, I see good in everyone, no inherent malice or danger, an obstacle that appears more like a fun challenge, and the opportunity to wake up and learn or discover something completely new.
As a leader, how can you alter your perspective by viewing your organization through the eyes of your employees? Your customers? - Giving is much better than receiving
If you don’t understand this as a mom, you’ll be left void. Raising little people is a tiring, self-less act, but I couldn’t flash forward 20 years to see my little guys as bold, humble, moral and upright men, and imagine anything more worthwhile. Likewise, the best leaders have mastered this concept. How can you pour more of yourself into your team?
www.LindsayKeisler.com 