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The invisible work of leadership
A couple months back I spent about 3 days fully wiped out with the flu. I just had zero juice in the tank.
And for reasons not fully clear, even to me, I spent a lot of time watching old episodes of Matlock.
A couple things struck me as I took this nostalgic trip back to my youth:
Ben Matlock was far more ornery than I remembered.
Almost nothing about the court proceedings in Matlock is accurate.
It’s not that I’m some sort of legal maven, but I’ve been a juror enough times to know that a trial is more of a well-scripted performance for the jury than a night at the improv. The surprise witnesses and surprise evidence make for an exciting climax on TV, but real trials are pretty boring in comparison.
This disparity is a good reminder that leadership also looks different in the real world than it does in scripted movies and on TV.
And even the other leaders you compare yourself to don’t necessarily have it all figured out in the way you believe.
Most leaders quietly make things better for their people without a great deal of fanfare or recognition.
The best leaders are happiest when their people are getting the accolades.
Great leaders spend a lot of time and energy on “invisible” work like coaching and mentoring their people to help them realize their potential.
Even the best leaders question themselves and aren’t as perpetually sure of themselves as you may think.
Instead of worrying about how you measure up to an idealized version of leadership in the movies – or to another leader who actually isn’t as perfect as you think – just focus on helping your people, your team, and your organization win.
All the rest is just stealing your time, energy, and focus.
TRY THIS: Spend a few minutes this week considering how to help your people win. What can you do as their leader to encourage them, correct them, and make success more likely for them? This is the crux of leadership, after all. It’s not a super hero moment, it’s showing up day after day to help your people unlock the best of themselves.
My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets
And for reasons not fully clear, even to me, I spent a lot of time watching old episodes of Matlock.
A couple things struck me as I took this nostalgic trip back to my youth:
Ben Matlock was far more ornery than I remembered.
Almost nothing about the court proceedings in Matlock is accurate.
It’s not that I’m some sort of legal maven, but I’ve been a juror enough times to know that a trial is more of a well-scripted performance for the jury than a night at the improv. The surprise witnesses and surprise evidence make for an exciting climax on TV, but real trials are pretty boring in comparison.
This disparity is a good reminder that leadership also looks different in the real world than it does in scripted movies and on TV.
And even the other leaders you compare yourself to don’t necessarily have it all figured out in the way you believe.
Most leaders quietly make things better for their people without a great deal of fanfare or recognition.
The best leaders are happiest when their people are getting the accolades.
Great leaders spend a lot of time and energy on “invisible” work like coaching and mentoring their people to help them realize their potential.
Even the best leaders question themselves and aren’t as perpetually sure of themselves as you may think.
Instead of worrying about how you measure up to an idealized version of leadership in the movies – or to another leader who actually isn’t as perfect as you think – just focus on helping your people, your team, and your organization win.
All the rest is just stealing your time, energy, and focus.
TRY THIS: Spend a few minutes this week considering how to help your people win. What can you do as their leader to encourage them, correct them, and make success more likely for them? This is the crux of leadership, after all. It’s not a super hero moment, it’s showing up day after day to help your people unlock the best of themselves.
My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets
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By Geoff WelchA couple months back I spent about 3 days fully wiped out with the flu. I just had zero juice in the tank.
And for reasons not fully clear, even to me, I spent a lot of time watching old episodes of Matlock.
A couple things struck me as I took this nostalgic trip back to my youth:
Ben Matlock was far more ornery than I remembered.
Almost nothing about the court proceedings in Matlock is accurate.
It’s not that I’m some sort of legal maven, but I’ve been a juror enough times to know that a trial is more of a well-scripted performance for the jury than a night at the improv. The surprise witnesses and surprise evidence make for an exciting climax on TV, but real trials are pretty boring in comparison.
This disparity is a good reminder that leadership also looks different in the real world than it does in scripted movies and on TV.
And even the other leaders you compare yourself to don’t necessarily have it all figured out in the way you believe.
Most leaders quietly make things better for their people without a great deal of fanfare or recognition.
The best leaders are happiest when their people are getting the accolades.
Great leaders spend a lot of time and energy on “invisible” work like coaching and mentoring their people to help them realize their potential.
Even the best leaders question themselves and aren’t as perpetually sure of themselves as you may think.
Instead of worrying about how you measure up to an idealized version of leadership in the movies – or to another leader who actually isn’t as perfect as you think – just focus on helping your people, your team, and your organization win.
All the rest is just stealing your time, energy, and focus.
TRY THIS: Spend a few minutes this week considering how to help your people win. What can you do as their leader to encourage them, correct them, and make success more likely for them? This is the crux of leadership, after all. It’s not a super hero moment, it’s showing up day after day to help your people unlock the best of themselves.
My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets
And for reasons not fully clear, even to me, I spent a lot of time watching old episodes of Matlock.
A couple things struck me as I took this nostalgic trip back to my youth:
Ben Matlock was far more ornery than I remembered.
Almost nothing about the court proceedings in Matlock is accurate.
It’s not that I’m some sort of legal maven, but I’ve been a juror enough times to know that a trial is more of a well-scripted performance for the jury than a night at the improv. The surprise witnesses and surprise evidence make for an exciting climax on TV, but real trials are pretty boring in comparison.
This disparity is a good reminder that leadership also looks different in the real world than it does in scripted movies and on TV.
And even the other leaders you compare yourself to don’t necessarily have it all figured out in the way you believe.
Most leaders quietly make things better for their people without a great deal of fanfare or recognition.
The best leaders are happiest when their people are getting the accolades.
Great leaders spend a lot of time and energy on “invisible” work like coaching and mentoring their people to help them realize their potential.
Even the best leaders question themselves and aren’t as perpetually sure of themselves as you may think.
Instead of worrying about how you measure up to an idealized version of leadership in the movies – or to another leader who actually isn’t as perfect as you think – just focus on helping your people, your team, and your organization win.
All the rest is just stealing your time, energy, and focus.
TRY THIS: Spend a few minutes this week considering how to help your people win. What can you do as their leader to encourage them, correct them, and make success more likely for them? This is the crux of leadership, after all. It’s not a super hero moment, it’s showing up day after day to help your people unlock the best of themselves.
My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets