A Case Study for the ABCs of Leadership Development
In the last three episodes of Coffee on Leadership, I've covered a framework I use when I have just minutes to teach some basics of leadership theory and subsequent development – The ABCs of Leadership Development.
Today we're doing a recap on those last three episodes and wrapping up with a case study where you can consider those components in a real life scenario.
I hope this case study shows not only what it means to make decisions through the lens of the stories of those around you, but also to make decisions in integrity (even when it’s the harder choice).
Thanks for being here throughout this series, and I hope you’ll join me on the next one. Cheers and stay tuned!
On this episode you’ll hear…
Why the field of leadership development is so important to Chaili
The reminder that no leader is perfect, but every leader can put on a posture of learning
What the ABCs of Leadership Development look like in action via an episode of We Can Do Hard Things
How the outcome can always be good when you allow your values to guide your decision making
Why a high emotional intelligence and self regulation are required for good leadership
Ready for more?
Listen in:
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** This is a raw, unedited transcript
Chaili Trentham 00:01
All right, the last three episodes of coffee on leadership, I've quickly very quickly covered a framework I use when I have just minutes to teach some basics of leadership theory and subsequent development. I call it the ABCs of leadership development. And we're doing a recap today on those last three episodes. So as an educator, I wanted this final wrap up episode to have a case study where you can consider those components in a real life scenario. And lo and behold, my friends, the perfect scenario presented itself by way of another podcast. So first, let's recap. Basically, the ABCs of leadership development means that authentic leadership is required when you are developing yourself as a leader, brave leadership is required and creative leadership is required. And I kind of broke those three things down for you in those last three episodes, knowing that the goal is overall a growth mindset for leaders knowing that you can continue learning always. And that's why leadership development as a field and as a practice is so important for me as a leadership developer. And that's literally what my master's degree is in, is knowing that when we begin to embrace the growth mindset, our goal is all centered and rapid up around reflection, creating space for debriefing, what went well, what didn't, what we could change what we would do differently next time as a leader and as a person engaging in the interactions we have with others. And that's where it really comes down to this idea that everyone is a leader in your everyday actions. And I truly wholeheartedly believe that, that we are all called to lead others in our actions and behaviors regardless of title or position of authority. And that's where the ABCs of leadership development are meant to be really relatable and easy to pick up and something that can be recapped quickly. Now remember, no leader is perfect, but every leader can put on a posture of learning. And my hope is that you would go back and listen to the full series all three episodes of authentic, brave and creative to unpack what it would look like for you to embrace authentic leadership styles to step out bravely in the way you engage with others and then wholeheartedly dive into a creative process where you can learn and grow and repeat and see leadership and life as a constant changing cycle of being fluidly in process and responding to pressure, whether that's external, environmental, internal, but responding to that pressure with openness, and an open mindedness in your abilities and capabilities as a leader. So what does this look like in action? This is where I said I wanted a case study for you. And as I was thinking about that, the perfect case study popped up last week when I was scrolling through Instagram, and came across Glennon Doyle's post about her podcast. And the title of the podcast is what caught my eye. Great title, great writing for, like getting you to join in and listen because it caught my attention. So the podcast episode was titled The episode that wasn't. And so of course, I had to go figure out what she was talking about and went over to the podcast, we can do hard things which Glenn and Doyle and Abby Wambach co hosts together, and I'm a big fan of Abby, because I'm a soccer player. And Abby, after playing with the National Women's team, and retiring from soccer went on to write a really, really great leadership book, if you're looking for an easy leadership book to pick up like tomorrow, she wrote a book called wolf pack that is all about leadership principles that she learned on the field, but relate to any team and it is awesome. We can talk about that another day. But they have this podcast. And basically this episode was a debrief of what was supposed to happen in that moment. So they had a guest who was supposed to be on the podcast. And the guest was disrespectful to one of their team members who was doing a tech check. And when it came down to it, the episode didn't happen, hence the title the episode that wasn't. And they went on to debrief it all for this episode. And so for 45 minutes, you're listening into the emotional reaction that happened when they found out about their team member being disrespected. The decision making that happened in the moment the values that came up and rubbed in that decision making process, and ultimately, how they felt and waded through that experience together in the moment, and then the debrief is still a little bit like emotional because it's happening in the moment and that's why it makes for a great great case study when we're talking about leadership right? So here's here's what I'm thinking. This is a this episode is a masterclass in leadership rooted in auto authenticity, bravery and create 70 So what I want you to do after listening here is to go listen to Glennon and Abby's podcast, we can do hard things, specifically the episode that wasn't from the first week of November, and listen in and really listen with the lens of how were they making values based decisions? How are they leading authentically? How was this a brave and courageous moment for them in this decision as leaders? And what did that creative process look like when we talked about creative process in the last episode, I told you how it's that cycle between process and kind of how you engage and then press what is going on around you the pressures that push in and weigh in, to essentially force a decision or, or force a change in the way that you lead. And so this is a great example of that. And I was glued to the episode honest, I will be so honest, I sent it to a few friends. And I was like, You have to listen to this. This is so good. I was glued to the episode because when they're debriefing, the emotions that came up and what they're feeling it was that values based decision making in hard times, that really resonated with me because we know that values, misalignment is one of the contributing factors to burnout. I've talked about that in a burnout episode here on the podcast. But when values misalignment contributes to burnout, then we know that the opposite is true as well, right that values alignment contributes to, I'll get things, I'll get things I'll get that so. So in this moment, when they're debriefing how they allowed their values to guide their behavior and their decision making, we know that the outcome is good and good for their organization good for their team good for their response to the scenario that they could walk away feeling like that was really hard. That situation that was really caused a lot of emotional angst, essentially, and, and brought up a lot of emotions and feelings. And you hear them talk about the different ways they approach that in that moment. But at the same time, at the end of it all, as they're debriefing, there's a peace and a calm, knowing that they made the right decision. And so often leaders will feel like I don't know if I made the right decision in the moment because it was tense, because it was there was conflict involved, because there was a lot of emotions involved. But at the end of the day, when you're making right decisions, there will be a peace and a calm that you feel right. And so the overarching theme of good leaders across organizations, one of those themes is emotional intelligence. And this is a study of emotional intelligence, essentially. And that's why I want you to go listen, and if you're not as as familiar with emotional intelligence, and kind of what that that whole field looks like, just now, one of the components, there's five components, Daniel Goleman, as a psychologist to rooted that theory, and is wonderful and wrote a great leadership book. And it's grounding and a lot of research on leadership development. But emotionally intelligent leadership is rooted in self awareness and self regulation, which self regulation is, if you have kids, you know, because this comes up in parenting, a lot. self regulation is the capacity to control your emotions, and particularly in situations where it's high stress, high pressure, and it's the ability to keep a positive attitude and outlook in the midst of it all. And when we lack self control, we know the opposite happens that we're more likely to react with a lot of emotion. And we can't control those emotions in the moment. And we make poor decisions. And it inhibits our ability to show up as a regulated human. So self regulation is a big part of emotional intelligence, and specifically, emotionally intelligent leaders are able to self regulate, and then the reactions aren't so heated or elevated. Because there's this awareness of how the appropriate way to respond is even in the midst of hard and messy and sticky. And the thing with self regulation is that it requires practice, right? And if you have toddlers or young children, this is like continuously something you practice every day, I have a five and a six and a half year old. And so I'm constantly in this mode of like, is that how we react and respond to the situation? You know, I asked that question a million times a day. And so what Abby and Glennon were able to do is lead in a way where not only were they aware of their leadership, their organizational commitment for their team, their values, what they know to be true, and how they want their team to be treated. And then from there self regulate in a situation where Glennon does say like I was fired up I was ready to go tell them off like but she regulated and use the people around her to regulate knowing that like she turned into Mama Bear mode and so what does it look like to take a step back and maybe let others who can be a little bit more common that moment come alongside you and your leadership, and then also having a deep awareness of what was going on for their team member being able to empathize there. That's another critical component, that awareness of others critical component of leadership, development and emotional intelligence tethered together. And so they were able to do that and then make make a decision that really upholds everything they say they believe in, in a way that was beautifully executed. And I'll leave it at that, because I really want you to go listen to the episode. Break it down for yourself. But it just as a reminder that even Glennon and Abby sharing that experience and debriefing that live and then putting it out on the podcast is significant to the way that we learn. And the way that we hear stories of others. And now, oh, if they can do it, I can do it too. They say right in there, like it is a privilege that they run their team in the way that they do and are able to make those decisions to dismiss a podcast guest or change routes on an episode. And we know that if you are working in an organization where you don't have that privilege to make decisions like that, in the moment, that's a little bit tricky. However, at the same time, these are the spans across this the areas of our life where we may be making decisions personally or professionally, or amongst friends or in the grocery store. And so thinking about the way that you respond through that lens of am I listening to the stories of others around me? Am I really hearing what's going on? Am I making decisions as a leader in this moment with their best interest in mind and also upholding the things that I say I'm going to do and then actually do it in the moment and have that integrity to do the hard thing? I think it's it's a profound masterclass and a 45 minute episode with them. So, go, Listen, let me know what you think. And be sure to go back and listen to the ABCs of leadership development to really tie it all together and figure out those connecting points because there are more than a few. And I'm just so grateful that you continually show up to listen and learn with me. Cheers.