Leading with intention
There are two words that I write on a piece of paper and place by my computer every day: Courage and Compassion.
On my best days, I look at that piece of paper before every interaction. I look at it when I’m making decisions. I look at it before a speech. I look at it before a difficult conversation. I look at it when I feel I’m caught in a moral dilemma. I look at it when I write. No matter what I’m dealing with or how overwhelmed I am, these words always point me to the answer. They are my compass. They are my values.
Back in March, when I had to decide whether to keep Student Maid open or temporarily close due to the pandemic, I was really struggling with what to do. On one hand, I thought about the responsibility I have to keep our team and our clients safe. On the other, I thought about revenue coming to a screeching halt, which likely meant taking away our team members’ ability to pay their bills. I looked to my values to make the decision: Compassion told me I had to close it to keep everyone safe, and Courage told me to close it even though we might lose a lot of money. Compassion also told me to commit to keeping everyone paid and employed during our closure, and Courage told me I would find a way to make it happen, even though it felt impossible.
I can recall difficult conversations I’ve had with members of our team over the last several months as well. Hard feedback that I’ve had to give that I wanted to avoid giving with everything I had in me. Again, my values guided me: Courage told me I had to be honest and speak my truth, and Compassion reminded me to come from a giving and loving place while doing it.
At the end of the day, my values are how I measure my success as a leader and as a human. I reflect every evening before going to bed: Did I demonstrate Courage and Compassion today? It’s a simple yes or no. If I didn’t, I reflect on why that was. I think about how I can have the Courage and Compassion to own up to it the next day and make it right.
The idea of your values guiding your decisions is so simple, but I felt compelled to write about it because it’s often the simplest things that can make the largest difference. But unless you make a conscious effort to live by your values every day, it’s so much easier said than done.
I believe that it’s possible to make every single decision with intention, but few do. It requires knowing our values and operating from them.
When was the last time you sat down and thought about your values? Have you ever? Have you written them down? Have you made using them a daily practice? Do you reflect on them?
If you feel you have more work to do here, our team has created a guide to help you. You can download it here. If you are on a team, it will also help you identify the values of your team, so that together you can operate from a place of intention. You can even create a set of values with your family.
What would the world look like if we all operated with our values in mind?
Big hugs,
Kristen
PS: Have you heard of my new LIVE show every Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET? Think of it as real talk. I share the challenges I’m navigating as a leader and I also take questions from you! You can register here: https://bit.ly/3kWe2kT. It’s the same link each week. Hope to see you there!
