The Leadership Plate Is Overflowing
Sunday I was at our weekly family dinner. We always have great food. You know that good old fashioned comfort food that makes us feel good even when we are feeling sad, overwhelmed, depressed or stressed out. I bet you can see your plate now. For me it’s that homemade mac and cheese my wife makes, BBQ brisket, my Mama’s corn casserole, cheesy potatoes and a couple of my Sister’s buttermilk sugar cookies. I will be in a food coma before the evening is over. The thing about the food at our family dinner is that there comes a point where there is so much food on my plate I have a decision to make. Do I continue to eat that food until the thing that brings me so much joy makes me sick or do I push that plate away and save some for later?
The Plate Is Full
Leadership is a lot like that plate at our Sunday dinner, however we don’t get to pick everything that ends up on our plate. Most of the time we get to choose the things that are on it but sometimes things find their way there that nobody wants. An example would be the last piece of cake your grandma forces you to eat so she can go ahead and wash her cake pan with the rest of the dishes, even though you are so stuffed you know it won’t even taste good. As leaders things get piled onto our plates all the time. The key is how do we manage it all when we think there isn’t any more room. My grandma would say “my plate is so full I don’t even have room for the gravy.” The funny thing is she always found room for that gravy. Our leadership plate is the same way we always have room for more even if we feel like we don’t.
Where Do We Put It
When that plate is overflowing we have to make some decisions and these questions will help you decide what you need to do.
Are we going to clean our plate regardless of how it makes us feel?
Can I get a container and take some leftovers home for later?
Do I find somebody to share my plate with?
Can I just push my plate away for a few minutes and finish it later?
I know that the leadership plate can fill up pretty fast and get overloaded before we know it. I also know that as leaders we know we have to clean that plate and we want to clean it, but how we get it done matters especially if we want to enjoy it.
Question one: Powering through
The thing I did way too much as a young leader was just powering through in one sitting and clearing my plate regardless of how I was feeling. This may have felt good to get everything off your plate, however you can make yourself sick if you keep doing this everyday. It is no different than filling your plate to the brim at Sunday dinner and eating until you feel so sick you are unhappy and miserable.
Question two: Taking home leftovers
I used to take home a lot of leftovers. I thought this was what hard work looked like and sometimes you do have to do it, but it isn’t the best way to get things done. The problem I would have with leftovers is that I never thought they tasted as good so I would let them sit on a shelf in my fridge and they wouldn't get eaten. This just allowed for more problems to pile up and lead to me cleaning out some pretty gross containers from my fridge. If you have to take home some leftovers make sure it is something you love. I know if I take home my Mama’s corn casserole from dinner that I will eat it because it’s my favorite. If you have to take work home make it be things that are easy to do that you enjoy doing.
Question three: Sharing my plate
As leaders we need to collaborate and delegate more often. We are not the only leaders in our building, everyone is a leader and the truth is when we share everyone feels better. Leading a building or an organization is a huge task and if you want to be effective and create community you need to be willing to share with others. This isn’t always easy to do, however there are times where it can be a real benefit. For example there will be things on our plate that we end up not liking. I tried a brussel sprout ONCE and it wasn’t my thing, but I know my wife likes them so she will eat what I don’t. Find out what your team is good at and what they like to do and use that to your advantage.
Question four: Let your stomach settle so you can go back for more
Sometimes all we need is a break to let our stomach settle so we can make room for seconds or that favorite dessert my Aunt Susan makes. We have to remember as leaders that it’s ok to take a break. I know that when I eat too much but I want more I can get up and go for a walk or loosen up a notch on my belt and take a quick nap before going back for another plate. There is nothing wrong with pushing that plate away when you are full. It doesn't mean you are done, it just means you are going to finish later.
Call To Action
This week I challenge you to take time to recognize when your plate is getting too full. When you start to see that gravy running off the plate ask yourself the four questions and decide what decision is best for you. Will you stuff yourself so full that you will feel like a tick, grab a cool whip container from grandma's shelf for leftovers, share what you can’t eat or will you take a short break before dessert? Have a great week and light the WICK of leadership by Working hard, acting with Integrity, being Committed and treating people with Kindness. Oh, by the way don’t forget when your commitment is greater than your feelings you get results(C>F=R).
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