Episode 52: Living A Mentored Life

"Sometimes I feel caught in the middle of meeting the needs of the team I lead and meeting the needs of my own leader. What are some ways you navigate leading in the middle?"

Leading in the middle is this unique position in the organization where your team is looking to you to meet their needs and ALSO the leaders in the organization are coming to you with likely a different set of expectations. Join me with Laura Flanders, MA, BCC as we answer this question through the lens of living a mentored life 

• Actual learning, actual reflection is with another human person beside us. 
• How we learn is am important thing to keep our finger on throughout life
• We never stop learning – and it requires some internal work
• Leading means having to let go of my own tendency towards perfection
• First, learn active listening to understand their true need and what’s yours to do
• Their needs may be reasonable for you; but others may need to meet it, too
• Communicate the expectation that they need to work to meet their need – you aren’t all the solution even if you are a part of the solution
• Coach, the person not the problem. 
• Learn how to ask high-level coaching questions that are really open ended and help them come up with their own solutions. 
• Your new job is not getting all those tests done. Your new job is leading people. 
• The art of listening is the primary skills for a new leader in middle management
• Don’t think one  mentor – but a whole constellation of mentors – some who served you for just a day; others long term; others for a few months to help you learn one specific skill.
• There's no such a thing as a perfect mentor; rather a perfect constellation of mentors. 
• Intentionality toward learning; it's a relational process, relational life towards that, then it's we're living and mentored life. 

Links to Check Out:

• Send your question HERE – in writing or by recording
• Living a Mentored Life Course
• Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
• Email Laura
• Learn more about Annie