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Surrender. It’s time to give up!

By February 4, 2022 Leadership

It’s time to give up.

New Year, New You!

Goals, objectives, OKRs, KPIs, on track chats, daily rituals – so much of our energy at this time of year is directed towards new, better and more. We are filled with renewed optimism that this year, this very year, this one right here, is going to be different. We’re going to be more disciplined, more thoughtful, more frugal, more committed, more determined, more, more, more!

We say STOP. GIVE UP. SURRENDER.

“Life is a balance between what we can control and what we cannot.
I am learning to live between effort and surrender.”

Danielle Orner

If a global pandemic teaches us anything it’s that there are circumstances, situations and outcomes that are beyond our control. For many business leaders our strategy and plans are obsolete by the time the inkjet has finished drying and some of us wish we’d paid more attention whenever VUCA was mentioned in the past. First coined in the military VUCA describes environments that are Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Hello 2022! Our energy is finite and we reckon the critical leadership imperative for this year will be to let go! Surrender to the things you can’t control, give up the fights that aren’t worth it. Sharpen your focus and go all in on the activities and actions you can control, that bring results and most of all that bring you joy!

Follow your North Star

The ongoing effects of the pandemic are going to shake up our business environments for years to come. Supply chain disruption, talent shortages, hybrid workplaces, inflationary pressure…..as our teenagers might say…it’s a lot.

In challenging times, letting go of all the extraneous stuff that doesn’t actually get to the heart of what you do and what you’re about both, creates space for clarity. What’s your North Star? What’s the one, essential thing you know to be true about your business that was true last year and will be true next year? On a personal level, what’s your why?

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, Built to Last and Great by Choice describes this idea of a guiding star; “Your purpose is the guiding star, always out there on the horizon, never attainable but always pulling your forward. ”

Now’s a great time to check your to-do list. How many items drive towards your purpose? Can you get laser focused, and be wholly intentional and deliberate about pursuing what matters most?  We challenge you to reduce not the quality of your KPIs, or the aspirational nature of your targets – but think about the quantity.

Get real about what you can achieve in this environment and pin your ears back to go after the projects and opportunities that line up with the guts of who you are.

What else should you give up this year?

How about caring less about what others think?

Maybe you could start moving towards what you want from your life and career and away from the expectations of your partner, your parents, your profession?

Is 2022 the year to strip away all the stuff we get busy doing that doesn’t really serve us? The meetings, the bring a plates, the relentless craving for more ‘things’.

Here’s three things we try to do to bridge that delicate balance between effort and surrender:

1. Say no: Oprah famously remarked that No is a complete sentence. Next time you’re invited to an event, or an outing that feels more like an obligation than a joy, say no. Maybe say ‘no, thank you’ as a practise run for the big, singular, stand alone, no.

2. Pay attention: switch on your self awareness and notice every time you get caught up in conversations and activities that don’t move you towards your North Star.

3. Let joy leap: whether it’s time in nature, riding bareback across the hills, going to the movies alone, or the rewards of a morning breathwork routine, be clearly conscious about carving out time for the things that make you laugh, and smile, and give you the feeling that your heart might burst out of your chest. Don’t wait for the motivation. Commit to doing those things even when you don’t feel like it. It’s worth it. You’ll never regret a swim in the salty sea. Let that joy leap!

Amplifying Leadership Impact

Are you ready to take the next step in your leadership? Perhaps you have an opportunity that will require more of you, and you want to expand your toolkit? We have space for four more people in our executive and leadership coaching program. Highly specific, individual coaching and mentoring delivered both in person and online to suit the demands of your environment and work-flow. If someone you know would benefit please forward this High Note, drop them an email, ring them up, pass on our details, invite them to like our social pages. If it’s you, hurry up. Email: tonia@thecompanyyoukeep.co.nz

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