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The Personal Side

Do you take things personally?

Some of us are more sensitive than others and no matter what leadership training we've had can often take things personally.

It's easy to say "don't take this personally" but when someone does say that, I almost always prepare to take whatever they have to say personally.

What choice do we have? We're people. Of COURSE we take things personally.

But as centered, high performance leaders we must learn when taking things personally makes sense and when it gets in the way. We need feedback. We need to improve. We need to fix processes and designs instead of trying endlessly to fix people. And that requires us to take care about taking things personally.

Besides, it's seldom even about us, is it?

Centered leaders take almost nothing personally while realizing that almost everyone else takes everything personally.

Yes, it is a matter of sensitivity - but the kind of sensitivity that allows us as leaders to see when someone has taken a remark to heart and maybe taken it so personally that they've become defensive or less effective. No strong leader wants people to be less effective.

So when we take things too personally, thats our opportunity to learn, to reflect, and to breathe.

And when those around us take things too personally, that's our opportunity to stay curious, compassionate, and creative. How can we turn the moment from one of judgement to one of joy?

It's possible. It takes practice. It takes work. It takes a centered, high performance leader.

-- Doug Smith


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Comments

  1. david1954@gmail.comOctober 12, 2015 at 11:08 AM

    Today was the first time I made the connection to High Performance Leadership.......Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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