When the visionary is stuck
Hello friends!
Here we are, almost three weeks since announcing our big and exciting news. And you know what happened last week? I got stuck.
It’s a real problem when the visionary is stuck. But it’s happened at some point in pretty much every big project I’ve ever worked on. I’d like to think that maybe I’m not alone in this, so for those leading teams or projects, maybe you can relate: I want to paint a vision clear enough so that the team feels empowered and can see their own path forward, but I don’t want it to be so clear that it feels like I’m telling them what to do. I want them to feel empowered to use their strengths and bring their own ideas to the table. That brings me to this week’s topic: How much vision is enough? How much is too much? Where do a visionary’s strengths end and the team’s begin?
I’m not sure if I have the answer. I’m not sure if anyone really does. I’ve yet to meet an entrepreneur or leader who has truly figured it out. What makes this challenge even tougher for me is that I’m an Activator. If you’re familiar with the StrengthsFinder assessment, you may know about this strength. If not, here’s the short version: I’m really good at starting things. My superpower is getting a new project or initiative off the ground and building momentum around it. So it’s a fine line for me: I always question if I’m doing too much at the beginning of a project and therefore robbing the team of the chance to have ownership. But it’s hard for me to see that line because activating comes so naturally to me that it almost happens subconsciously.
Here’s how I usually approach the projects that I lead: I activate them to a certain point, and then I hand them off to the team. I do not thrive in the execution, details, and the systems-and-structures-we-need-to-keep-this-thing-going phase of a project—if I’m in that part, I know I’m in the wrong lane. But sometimes, I activate too far and find myself there anyway. Luckily, I have a team overflowing with the amazing strengths that I am missing, and together, we are whole. But the challenge for us has always been knowing where my strengths end and theirs begin while also taking a collaborative approach that leads to shared ownership of success and outcomes.
To make it even more complex, my other strengths can be helpful at many different points throughout a project. According to StrengthsFinder, my four other top strengths are Maximizer, Futuristic, Positivity, and Adaptability. Maximizing means I can take something that already exists and make it better (so I thrive when the team shows me something and I have the chance to give feedback that can take it to the next level). Futuristic means I think about things strategically (so I can suggest directions based on long-term goals). Positivity means I bring the enthusiasm (so I thrive in inspiring team energy around a project, especially when it’s a challenging one). And Adaptability means I take things as they come (so I can help the team when things don’t go according to plan). I am clear on what my strengths are and why they matter, but I have trouble knowing when and how to use them in a project while still being a good leader.
For example: If something doesn’t go according to plan, it is my natural instinct to problem-solve and figure out a different way. That’s my Adaptability strength kicking in. The team often leans on me for this because I’m really good at it. But when this happens, I usually find myself taking over and leading the new direction. If I do that every time, how will the team ever learn and grow? How will they feel ownership? You see the dilemma.
Now, here we are launching Student Made—easily the biggest project we’ve ever launched—and because I’ve never been able to figure this out, I approached this initiative like I have approached most in the past: I began to activate, and the team began waiting for me to activate. For a week, I thought about the best path forward and started making a plan. But it didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right because here we are, launching the biggest project we’ve ever launched, and I was on an island by myself.
Throughout last week, I kept thinking about this “off” feeling I had, and I kept thinking about a word that I haven’t been able to get out of my head since announcing the news: “lead.” Without any doubt, I know I want to lead through our reinvention. I want to empower. I want to inspire ownership. I want our team to use their amazing gifts and superpowers more than I’m using mine. When we pull this off (because we will), I want the team to feel like this is their success. Like they did this. Like they earned it. Like they figured it out when things didn’t go according to plan. I want to be behind-the-scenes… yet here I was, running the show.
I realized that where I was, was no good. Being on an island by myself felt like a lot of pressure. It felt like everyone was waiting on me to figure out the next step—which didn’t feel good for the team, either. They wanted so badly to move forward and build on this amazing excitement and energy, but they couldn’t because they were waiting on me to leave my self-imposed island. It took one week of this for me to recognize that if I wanted to lead, I needed to approach this whole initiative differently. So I called a team meeting to talk about it.
I have to say, calling this meeting was a vulnerable step for me. It felt like I was sharing things too soon. Instead of coming in with, “We are taking this path,” I came in with, “We could do this, or this, and even this.” In the past when I’ve come into meetings with different directions, some members of the team have felt overwhelmed. That’s because they thrive in the how and execution of a plan, but actually coming up with the plan or direction isn’t in their natural strengths. So when I called this meeting, I had this insecurity in the back of my mind. I knew that for some, the meeting might be overwhelming. I also knew that if I wanted to lead, I couldn’t just hand the team a plan with a bow on it. And leading is what I care about.
Here’s what happened: It wasn’t overwhelming for the team. As I shared that I felt stuck on how to move forward while also leading, the team shared that they felt stuck waiting for me. As I shared different directions we could take, the team openly gave their feedback because unbeknownst to me, the vision is already clear to them. We know what we are here to do. We know that we are leaving cleaning to do it. We just need to figure out the details… a place where our team thrives. We ended the meeting with each person coming up with the one next step they will take, and we agreed on a weekly meeting cadence from here on out. We are doing this together.
Last week reminded me that we need each other. We can’t figure out big things alone. It taught me that if I’m stuck, maybe it’s because I’m supposed to be. Maybe it’s a sign that my strengths have done their job, and now it’s time to lean on the strengths of others. And as we move forward with this project, I will be mindful of how I use the rest of my strengths throughout the process. Instead of second-guessing myself, I will ask the team what they think. I will ask them if they think it’s time for me to use my strengths. I will ask them if they really need me. I will remind them that I’m here to lead. Leading is not doing. Leading is leading others to do. Leading is helping others see what they are capable of.
I gotta say… in the last three weeks, I’ve learned more about leadership than I’ve learned in the last 14 years. Big changes = big growth. I can already tell this is going to be one heck of an education for me.
See you next week! Thanks for rooting for us.
Until then, hugs through the screen.
Kristen
PS: Join us for our LIVE show this Wednesday (and every Wednesday!) at 11 a.m. ET, where our leadership team and I get REAL. We share everything from news and stories from behind-the-scenes of our pivot to what we’re learning, what we’re struggling with as leaders, and how we’re meeting this unprecedented moment in our history as a company. You can register here: https://bit.ly/3kWe2kT. It’s the same link each week. Hope to see you there!
