Level Up Leadership Coaching

I’m feeling this atm. Thankfully another elf on the shelf is complete, presents are all wrapped and most of the food is prepped - now all I need is a magic elf to clean everything 😫. Dec has absolutely flown by and I completely lost track of days. But Christmas Eve is here and the kids are buzzing. Nothing else to do now but enjoy. I hope you all have a great festive season, get a break and are able to relax and unwind to get ready to do it all again in the new year 🤪

You know that moment when a client says something and you think ‘YES! This is exactly why I do what I do and love what I do’. This happened to me this week - after a session or two of prepping them for a difficult conversation, they said afterwards “that felt really good and now I feel so empowered to have ALL of the conversations” 😊🙌. All the feels!!

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I heard this saying lately and thought it was such a great thing to remember in leadership. I have a couple of people in my circle who are starting new roles in leadership - this one is for you guys!

Some people think that when they start a new role, particularly in leadership, they need to stamp their authority or mark their territory straight away to gain instant respect…. But it doesn't work that way.

Although when you start somewhere new, you may find it easy to spot areas for improvement, processes to streamline, staff to performance manage and so on, because you have fresh eyes. But I say stop! Connect before you Correct.

Want to know how you really should start a new role? Head to my latest blog called Connect before you Correct. Link in bio.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I like to get learnings from reality TV. And last nights episode of did not disappoint.

This quote from during an eating challenge is seriously the funniest thing I’ve ever heard on TV so couldn’t resist posting it. But that wasn’t the lesson I received from the show. It was about motivations and rewards.

spoke about how he has a weak stomach and didn’t expect to be able to eat anything. But his motivation was to bring home all stars so the team can eat a decent meal(reward). Which meant he had to eat everything put in front of him. And he did!! 👏

It got me thinking about things that scare us or challenge us and how we deal with them. What if every time we had to do something difficult, we made sure that we identified the motivation and we planned a reward for doing it. It doesn’t have to be extravagant - let’s say you have a difficult discussion with someone coming up. The motivation for this discussion is to develop the staff member, improve morale, lift the standard of outputs etc. And your reward could be that you buy your lunch that day. Or order takeaway for dinner that night. Buy yourself some earrings etc. So instead of getting in our heads about the daunting, challenging ‘thing’ we need to do, we can focus on the motivation behind it and use the reward as the driver.

Sorry I’ve been MIA recently. I’ve had a mad couple of weeks - a flight interstate to surprise my sister for her bday, then Easter and more recently my oldest son having his tonsils out. God it’s so hard to see your kids in hospital, all wired up to machines, getting put to sleep, then the waiting until they come out of theatre. And all of the things that follow. My poor son went through a bit during his hospital stay, but the one thing he kept asking for that really seemed to help him was a shower. He had multiple showers while we were there and it just reminded me how much water helps in many ways. It’s such a simple luxury that we take for granted but so effective.

Obviously I jest in the quote above 🤣 but water does solve so many problems. Many a times I’ve chucked the kids in the bath when meltdowns occur and almost instantly they stop. My son always wants a shower when he’s feeling unwell and it must feel like a massive warm hug to help him get through. People talk about taking a bath as part of self-care and it’s not just the time to yourself, the book that you read, the music / podcast you play, the salts you add to the bath, but it’s the water that’s doing it’s magic.

Remember - just add water. If things are getting a bit much (for you or your kids), have a long hot shower or bath. Go for a swim in the pool or ocean, or even just a glass of water outside to take a breather. Simple pleasures.

Leadership (and small biz ownership) can be lonely. You have to keep information to yourself, keep yourself motivated, problem solve alone, often make decisions without consultation, and just cross your fingers that you are doing everything right. No matter how close your 2IC or next most senior team member is, being the boss can still feel lonely.

Don't you wish you had someone that you could troubleshoot with, check that you're approaching things in the right way, bounce ideas off, problem solve with, ensure your systems and processes are set up most effectively. Someone who has yours and your businesses best interest at heart, but doesn't have the emotional attachment to the business which allows for completely objective advice?

Hi, its me. I'm that person. I've had over 20 years leadership experience, managing teams as big as 30+, managed whole departments with a budget of over $25m, recruited 100's of people, lead through many changes, own two small businesses - there's not much that I haven't experienced (plus I LOVE a good problem so will do whatever it takes to solve it if I haven't experienced it prior). And most importantly, I'll be your biggest cheerleader.

Reach out if you feel like you need me to be that person to you. Send me a message or book in a call here https://www.leveluplc.com.au/initial-consultation

What happens when you start to have issues in your business / team with -activities not being done, some people feeling overwhelmed while other to-do lists have shrunk, or tensions occuring because two people are working on the same things? People start to feel frustrated, unmotivated and act out a little.

The issues that I refer to above quite often are due to the fact that those in the business are not 100% clear with what their responsibilities and expectations are. And believe it or not, this is extremely common, particularly, but not exclusively, in small businesses.

Creating role clarity is so important for individuals job satisfaction as well as for the success of the broader team / business. Check out my latest blog https://www.leveluplc.com.au/blog/role-clarity to read how I work with my clients to help them bring the clarity!

ROLE CLARITY BRINGS FULL CLARITY — Level Up Leadership Coaching When roles aren’t clear, it can cause a number of issues within the business / team. The best thing you can do for your business / team is to provide clarity.

What if you chose to be confident?

This beautiful young girl in this image is Phoebe Stewart who is currently competing in Australian Idol. She is AMAZING! And not just because she has the most beautiful voice. Or because she has mastered the ability to tell a story with every song. Or because of the artistry that she demonstrates when she makes these songs her own... Nope - it's because at the age of 15 years old, she has already worked out who she is, what she wants and isn't at all afraid to go for it.

When she was asked if she was ever nervous before her performances (because it doesn't seem like it), she responded no because she choses not to be nervous....🤯 She chooses to be confident because she knows what she wants.

Wow!! What if we all chose to be confident.... What if we stopped caring about what others think, stopped caring about making a mistake, stop caring about the what if's and just went for it!!

Demonstrating confidence as a leader is critical to gaining respect, trust and dependability. If confidence is something that you are struggling with, it may be because you haven't found your own leadership style. You may be trying to replicate someone else's style, or leading in a way that you think you need to - but this won't make you feel confident. This will constantly result in you questioning yourself.

Good news! There is no one way to lead and my focus with my clients is not to tell them how to do things, but instead work with them to find out ways of doing things that makes them feel comfortable. They will find it a lot easier to own their authority, and because they are still themselves, the confidence just comes.... Lock in a call with me if you think I can help you be as confident as Phoebe is 🤗. https://www.leveluplc.com.au/initial-consultation

Let’s talk authenticity. Anyone watching MAFS will know that ⬇️ is not it!

Authenticity basically means you act as you truly are and in line with your values, regardless of outside pressures to act differently. So it’s being real and genuine.

Harvard Business School lists the 5 characteristics of an Authentic Leader:

✨ They’re committed to bettering themselves
✨ They cultivate self-awareness
✨ They’re disciplined
✨ They’re mission-driven
✨ They inspire faith (trust)

It can be hard to be the real you in the workplace, especially as a leader. There are a lot of expectations, pressure, responsibility, and demands in a leadership role, that the real you can get lost along the way.

One of the main reasons I started my leadership coaching business was because I wanted to see leaders improve, grow, develop, and love leading, BUT doing it their way. Not losing themselves in the process mimicking other leaders (which I have unfortunately seen too often).

There is no one way to lead - let me help you find your authentic leadership style 🤗. Head here https://www.leveluplc.com.au/initial-consultation to book in a call with me to see how I can help!

For those of you that think being vulnerable is easy, obviously didn’t watch poor Rupert get married on this week 😳.

In my last post I spoke about how showing vulnerability as a leader can be used as a tool towards team success. One amazing benefit of demonstrating vulnerability is empowering your staff.

For example, if you are honest about not knowing the answer or the best way forward, this opens up a conversation with the team and invites them to input into the discussion. Once they are part of the problem solving process, not only will you have more minds working on the one problem, they will become more invested in the solution.

You will also create an environment that encourages open communication, real connection and trust. Your team will feel empowered to continue to do the work as they will want to help, to suggest ideas, and to show vulnerability themselves.

To read a piece I wrote based on a reality TV show of when to empower your team and when not to, head to the blog titled 'When to pull rank' here https://www.leveluplc.com.au/blog/pullrank.

Isn't it funny that showing vulnerability is often considered weak, yet most people find being vulnerable very difficult. Brené Brown has conducted extensive research on being vulnerable and sums its up perfectly - 'Vulnerability is the best measure of courage'.

Being vulnerable as a leader / business owner doesn't mean you have to tell everyone everything about personal life or all of your secrets. Its about dropping the ego, being real and honest.

Do you want to be a leader who is authentic, inspiring and easy to relate to? Then don't be afraid to display vulnerability, and learn the benefits of being vulnerable for your team members.

Want to learn how to feel comfortable being vulnerable as a leader / business owner, and even use it as a tool for team success? Let's have a chat - head here to lock in a time https://www.leveluplc.com.au/initial-consultation 🤗