Are You Leading a Status Quo Life?
I have a confession to make.
I love routine.
I love knowing what’s going to happen each and every day:
6:00am-6:30am: Sip hot lemon water, read emails
7:00am-8:00am – workout
8:30am-9:00am – breakfast and review day.
You get the drill.
It makes me feel safe and secure on some level – like there’s order in my life. That has always been an important feeling to me as there was a lot of chaos in my family life as a teen.
On the other hand, if there’s too much routine, I get bored. I like to mix things up, try new things and have little adventures. It keeps life interesting and helps me avoid taking things for granted.
And it keeps my creativity from going stale.
How about you?
Are you someone who is leading a status quo life?
Nothing changes.
No stretching.
No personal growth.
No challenging your beliefs or mindset.
You like that safety of routine, staying the same, because you know what to expect.
But at what cost?
Is that really living?
And if that’s how you approach life, how is this status quo mindset affecting your leadership?
How you live is how you lead.
When we go through the motions of leading our team every day, putting out fires, operating from a place of reaction, our ability to think outside the box weakens.
Our imagination needs to be used.
Our innovation muscle needs to be worked.
We need to inspire – ourselves first, then others.
So how do you break out of this routine of living in a hypnotic state?
Change.
Change things up.
If you have a certain way you drive to work, change it. Find a new route. Or take the train.
Do you eat the same thing for lunch every day? Instead of that burger, why not try for a healthier option?
If you lead a team or large organization – here’s what to remember:
Leadership isn’t a one-time thing you learn. It’s a process and is always evolving. And, you need to evolve as well.
Just like riding that bike: You had to learn how, then practice, then apply what you learned over and over and over until you mastered bike riding.
The same goes for leadership.
You learn a skill – like listening. Then, you have to practice it – a lot. In the process of practicing, you’ll learn what to do and what not to do. What works best with some people and what doesn’t with others.
Once you’ve practiced this new skill, you apply what you learned and continue using it, making adjustments as you go.
This is a process.
A lifelong process.
There’s no arrival at perfection.
And isn’t that good news.
What routine are you willing to change? I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below this video and tell me what it is and how you’re going to pivot to shake things up. And remember – make it FUN!
Once you have changed some of your routines, you may have noticed that your brain resisted. That’s the other side of the coin – your mindset. That’s where I can help you. Reach out to me and let’s hop on a call to talk about you and what you’d like to change. Status quo is so not you!