I talk with clients a good bit about the time we spend brushing our teeth.
I don’t know anything special about dental care, of course.
Rather, I bring up that daily habit because it’s one of those everyday moments in which we can briefly be alone with our thoughts, staring at ourselves in a mirror. It’s a time where self-talk might regularly occur.
Leaders (and we are all leaders at some level), can use this daily time for more than fresh breath!
It can also be a brief, quiet moment for honest reflection and personal assessment.
Many the leadership models we see today seem to focus more on performance rather than productivity.
We see leaders who act as though they care about their own image and standing more than their service to others.
We see leaders who act as though they care about their self-interest more than their responsibilities to others.
We see leaders who act as though they care more about opportunism more than their fiduciary role.
A quick question every caring leader should ask themselves regularly – “who is this for?”
If the immediate honest response is about us first (i.e., “how I’ll be seen” or “a great opportunity for me.”), then we should at least pause if not stop ourselves altogether.
If we want to be more productive than performative, we should seek to find ways to honestly answer this simple question by pointing to those we serve.
It’s not real leadership when its all about us.
And when that concept becomes a daily habit – like brushing our teeth – we will all be better for it.
