leader – Dr. Joy Karavedas

A View from My Window

There’s a world out there. Open a window, and it’s there.
Robin Williams

It’s May 2020 and unless you have been sleeping under a rock, you know that the world is in the midst of a pandemic that has people both fearful and excited, working from home and working harder than ever, confused. I told myself I wasn’t going to write about this situation. There are literally hundreds of articles about crisis management, leading during change, and working with new technologies. But, I can write about what I know…. I know people and I know leadership.

A few weeks into the stay at home measures, a friend of mine suggested I take a look at a Facebook group called A View from My Window. The entire social media content consists of pictures taken by people of their current views. I’ve seen photos of Greek islands, Italian villas, and seaports in Croatia. My scrolling has given me a view of Texas thunderstorms, tornadoes over the Great Plains, and even hospital rooms from the office of essential medical personnel It’s been pure enjoyment and respite from the conflicting news reports and confusing data otherwise streaming in the media.

Some of the most interesting pictures are those that focus on a single subject – a beautiful red flower or a solitary tree in a field. I’ve been thinking about the view from my leadership window. Do I see the beauty in the individual or am I only looking at the wider angle? We are called upon to be visionary leaders; however, sometimes the vision can block our view. Vision is important to leadership, but a focus on the individual is critical to leading.

Do you see the team member whose home feels more like a prison than a workplace? How about the office clown who is missing his audience? A team is only as good as its players and players need a coach, especially when our plans have been altered and purpose obstructed. There are a few things you can do to make sure your view is as clear as your vision.

Look Up – Look up from the reports, budgets and market analysis necessary to organizational success to invest in success of the human capital in front of you.

Look Deep – Look close at the players on your team and see them as individuals not only participants in a greater game.

Look Inside – Look inside and be clear about what you see. Both vision and view must begin within the leader.

Take a look … what’s the view outside your window?

Manager – Leader – Coach: Who Are You?

The answer is all of the above. Different situations call for different roles. Leaders wear many hats and it is your responsibility to determine which hat to wear in each situation. Let’s take a look at a few things that might help you understand the differences between leadership roles and help you choose your hats.

Manager – the Decision Maker

We’ve all seen the quotes “managers do things right and leaders do the right things” or “managers focus on things and leaders focus on people,” and there are many more just like those. In fact, I have my own take on this idea in my LinkedIn profile (feel free to check it out). The truth is leaders sometimes manage and managers often lead. When your team has a problem and needs a quick decision, they need someone who understands the system, has knowledge of the process, and can direct action quickly – a Manager.

Leader – the Visionary

Leaders are able to see the future and take their teams into that future. This doesn’t mean leaders must be the most creative or innovative members of their teams. While creativity and innovation are valuable, the greatest visionary element is curiosity. Visionary leaders ask questions like what is next? What could we do better? They also have the innate ability to lead their teams in finding answers to those questions.

Coach – the Mentor

As the wife of a football coach, I know how much coaches pour into their players. In an organizational setting, leaders serve as coaches to individual members of their teams, encouraging them to grow personally and professionally. The coaching process leads individual team members into the discovery of their own strengths and guides them toward victory – achievement of their goals.

Leading people requires a variety of leadership skills with the ability to discern which skills are needed in different situations. Be bold, be brave, and step into those situations with skill and passion. Remember, your people are counting on you.

“Leadership is not a position or title, it is an action and example.” Donald McGannon

The Danger of the Leadership Plateau

There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.
Bruce Lee

The great leadership expert Bruce Lee was absolutely right – you must not stay in the plateau places. The greatest danger of the plateau is that it simply feels so comfortable. In fact, it feels so comfortable you may not even realize you have plateaued. Leadership plateaus let us move into autopilot and relax into familiar patterns. Moving from one situation to another, one decision to another, one person to another without the need to think about the next step. Comfort isn’t wrong, and every leader needs a chance to rest into their leadership on occasion. But remaining on a leadership plateau will never move you forward in leadership; nor does it provide the engaged leadership needed by those being led.

There are four things leaders must do when facing a leadership plateau:

EXAMINE yourself and your leadership – Recent research revealed that 86% of senior leaders found making time and space for reflection critical to their leadership success[1]. Intentionally setting aside time to reflect on leadership decisions creates better decision makers. Examining important interactions and critical conversations changes the way we lead people. Considering future leadership roles provides direction to leadership growth and development. Personal examination increases understanding of one’s leadership strengths and characteristics, allowing leaders to lean into those strengths while working on areas needing growth.

EXPAND your network of professional relationships – Successful leaders maintain a broad network of professional relationships to enhance their leadership skills. By intentionally building relationships with a variety of people, leaders gather experience and learning that is strategically designed to benefit their leadership growth. By sharing information and experiences, individuals learn from each other and develop personally and professionally. If you find yourself regularly seeking leadership advice and coaching from the same person or group, you may want to expand your professional network. Developing strategic relationships is important to continued leadership growth and prevents stagnation.

EXPLORE new opportunities to stretch your leadership – Complacency is the enemy of growth. When we settle for what we know, we fail to grow. Seeking stretch opportunities requires leaders to leave their comfort zone and risk failure. This is scary as hell. However, accepting these stretch opportunities develops new skills and insights that often cannot be learned in any other context. An added benefit is that stretch assignments spark new excitement and interest in our leadership roles and create leaders who are more engaged.

We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.
Sheryl Sandberg

EXIT a bad situation – In some instances, the only way to move off the plateau is to actually move. This may appear drastic, but sometimes removing oneself may be the only way to escape a bad situation, a bad leader, or a bad work culture. Remaining with an organization that does not value you or your leadership will drag both down. It’s not always possible to simply walk away from a position. However, when the leadership plateau is the result of a toxic environment, every additional moment should be spent seeking the means to leave that environment.

Leadership should never be boring. Leadership should be moveable, changing, and exciting. Leaders must take responsibility for their own leadership growth by intentionally engaging in the leadership development process. Jumping off the plateau and heading out on the path of leadership makes you a better leader, and your leadership growth impacts everyone around you.

[1] Karavedas, J. (2019). Becoming leaders: A phenomenological study of how mid-level leaders in Christian universities develop leadership skills.

Personal Reflections on Lessons Learned from Leadership Fails

My best successes came on the heels of failures – Barbara Corcoran

It’s often said that we learn best from our mistakes. This is particularly true in leadership. Leadership situations are unpredictable and often call for spontaneous decision-making. While each of us can draw upon wisdom gained from past experiences and emotional intelligence gained from personal growth, we may still miss the target on occasion. Reflecting on the lessons learned from these leadership fails is the best way to make sure to get it right the next time.

Most leaders understand the organizational impact gained from empowering team members to pick up a project and run with it. However, knowing when to let someone run with the ball and how far to let them go can be tricky to navigate. I remember a situation in which a team member had some pretty good ideas but they appeared too far out of the comfort zone for our organization. In fact, I remember one 20-minute conversation based on “thinking outside the box while remaining in the box.” What does that mean anyway? It turns out, he was right. It was time to push our organization a little further than it was comfortable. Rather than stifling this team member’s creativity, my role should have been to help organizational leaders understand the need to take risk and see the possibilities. I am happy to say that team member is still with the organization and has been doing great things to move it forward.

Another complicated situation is conflict between a team member and a customer. Team members want your support and customers firmly believe they are always right. Usually, neither party is all right or all wrong. In one instance, I had a team leader who had been given authority over a particular project. Exercising that authority, the team leader assigned a large penalty due to the customer’s mistake. Both parties brought the matter to me to mediate; neither felt they were out of line. After thorough review, I agreed with the customer believing the infraction did not warrant the penalty assessed. This caused significant animosity between the team leader and me, which was never fully repaired. I believe my decision was the right decision, but I could have handled the situation better. First, if there were restrictions on the team leader’s authority, I should have made that clear from the beginning of the project. Also, once conflict began, it would have been beneficial to step in earlier before the situation progressed too far (although there were some challenges in this case that made that impossible). As such, I was brought in to “clean things up” and had little opportunity to work out a better solution.

The most difficult leadership situations can involve those who lead you. My largest leadership fail falls under this description. Understanding how to address a conflict in leadership is of utmost important to leaders at all levels. In my specific situation, a project had been removed from my oversight without explanation. I had received superior reviews up to that point from within and outside the organization. I had even been promised additional projects based on my handling of the specific project. My direct supervisor could not provide explanation as to why the project was being taken from me and only offered promises of opportunities in other areas. Her responses made it clear she was being directed from someone above her, and I chose to confront that person. I made several mistakes during this confrontation – 1) I allowed my emotions to lead the confrontation; 2) I put my thoughts in writing (email) rather than meeting personally; and 3) I made insinuations that the situation was politically motivated. Each of these was a mistake, but together, they could have spelled disaster. Fortunately, this person is an amazing leader. She was able to model true leadership through a discussion that followed my poor confrontation choice. While I never received a solid explanation for the decision, I gained a significant lesson in managing people in distress and handling leadership conflict.

Zig Ziglar said, “If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.” I would add that if you haven’t failed in leadership, you may not be leading. None of us is perfect, and fortunately, perfection is not required of leadership. Leaders who are vulnerable enough to admit their mistakes and learn from them are successful leaders.

Leading from the Middle: Using Your Influence to Lead Others and Improve Your Own Position

“Leadership is a choice, not a position.” Stephen Covey

I once spent two months discussing, negotiating, talking about – ok arguing about – a title for my position. I lost that argument. For the next two years I learned to live with a title I didn’t like, and then I was promoted. Until I truly understood that leadership did not depend upon a title or position, it was difficult for me to feel successful in leadership. For many years, I tied my leadership value to my perceived achievement and the recognition of others.

I know differently now.

A title or position has nothing to do with leadership. Leadership begins within and is demonstrated through actions. Each of us has influence in whatever position we find ourselves, and the manner in which you use that influence impacts the lives of those around you and the life of your organization. The truth is we all lead every day. The problem is with our own view of leadership. Who chooses the restaurant for dinner? Who makes the phone call to a sad friend? Who is given the extra project at work because the boss knows it will be done? Who follows up to make sure the client is satisfied? All these are the actions of a leader. The leader understands what is needed and makes it happen.

Position isn’t everything but position can still be important. How do you move yourself out of your current position and into a more senior leadership position? There are a few things you can do to demonstrate leadership within your current role that might help you move into a new leadership role – one with a title you like.

Act with Integrity – Your character and integrity should be the place where your leadership begins. Plus, even a person with no integrity respects a person who has it.

Lead Well in All Places – Never look at a job or position as small or beneath you. Embrace the position and give it all you have. You will be rewarded.

Go the Extra Mile – In a recent article, Suzy Welch said if you want to get promoted, “you need to over-deliver.” She’s right. It’s also important that you give credit where credit is due – your team. Over-delivering results is beneficial to your organization and crediting your team demonstrates your ability to lead.

Network Continuously – Leadership is about influence and networking allows you to build influence. Building strategic relationships is beneficial to you, your team, and your organization.

Stay Away from the Drama – Most senior leaders don’t have the time or desire to participate in the office drama. You shouldn’t either.

A title doesn’t make you a leader. But, if you lead well in the smaller positions, you just might find yourself wearing a new title – the one you really want.

Gold Star for You

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards
they set for themselves.
Ray Kroc

My recent research revealed that affirmation plays a critical role in building leadership confidence, and confidence gives leaders the boost they need to lean into their potential. As we set standards and develop characteristics to guide our leadership, it feels good to have others recognize these qualities. Affirmation acknowledges the diversity of leadership skills and experiences we have developed, validates their value, and provides impetus for continued growth. High standards yield extraordinary results in us and in others.

It is important to recognize the value of affirmation and build it into our leadership practices. However, some environments make it difficult to find someone willing to tell us how wonderful we are at leadership or anything else. Sometimes affirmation must come from within. Bradley Cooper was asked in a recent interview whether he was angry because he did not receive an Oscar nomination for directing A Star is Born. His answer was no, because he knew “he had done good work.” Bradley Cooper did not need affirmation from others to value the work he had done. He knew it was good and he was proud of it.

Although I’m not an Oscar nominated actor, I had a similar experience when I recently defended my dissertation. Rather than deflect and play down the congratulations I received from others, I found it easy to simply say thank you. I worked hard for this, and I believe in it.

Setting high standards for your work and leadership sets an example for others to follow. It feels good to have others affirm these standards, but doing high quality, good work feels great too. Remember, recognize and affirm potential in others, but appreciate your own good work as well. And when necessary …

Give Yourself Your Own Gold Star!

Everyday Leaders

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted. Honestly, I’ve been having a small crisis of confidence. Even now as I write down these thoughts, I am thinking “why me?” What do I know about leadership? Yes, I have over 25 years of leadership experience, but so do quite a few other people. Longevity alone does not make me an expert on leadership. I know I have strong opinions about leadership. Again, others have strong opinions too. Are my opinions better – more worthy? Strong opinions and a platform for expressing them certainly do not make me an expert on leadership. They just make me another shouting voice in the wilderness. Why me? Why should anyone listen to what I have to say?

Maybe I’m asking the wrong question. Perhaps, I should be asking…Why not me?

I know theory. I know the research. Even more important, I care, and not just about theory and research. I care about people. It’s true. I may not have the platform of Oprah or be able to motivate like Michael Hyatt, but I do have influence. I interact with people every day who expect me to lead. They need vision, decisions and confidence. My team is together everyday, waiting for someone to lead them. The wonderful people under my leadership need to know someone cares about them as people, not just as a position within the organization. They need to be assured that they are truly seen and not just observed. These great people want to know where we are going, how we are going to get there, and who is going to show them the way. They look to me to answer these questions.

I am an everyday leader who leads everyday.

I’m not the only one. There are many of us out there. Businesses and organizations are full of leaders who make a difference in the lives of the people they lead. Be confident my friends! Lead from your heart and the depths of your souls. Care about others and let them know you care. Guide them gently to places they didn’t know they could go. Your leadership matters.

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