Practice Your Leadership

I often see teams engrossed by deadlines, governing structures, strategic plans, and KPIs. All good stuff. And yet the result of over focusing here can lead to unclear communication, festering tensions, and a whole lot of unnecessary drama. To do the work means also working on the team relationship. The behaviours and beliefs that create the ‘us’ of a team fuel the work – that’s where the magic happens. Ask the question: how do we work together? Co-create the answer: it reduces drama, inserts accountability, creates conditions for innovation, and clarifies team culture. Challenges and conflict are inevitable. Drama comes and goes. Taking the time to explore how you’ll navigate that chaos together is crucial.

Who hasn’t worked with people that drive them nuts? And how do you navigate these difficult dynamics with dignity? The answer requires inner reflection. It’s not easy, but try to step back from the emotions and judgments you’re holding and take a birds-eye view of the situation. Perspective and curiosity are required to get unstuck from the muck.

What if the pressure to stay on track, be better, and do more is precisely what’s holding you back? That aggressive, yang-like energy to tackle your to-do list can burn you out. And if you beat yourself up when you don’t live up to your self-set standards – that can backfire. What if you added a restful approach to your life, work and leadership? If you created some space between all the to-dos? Reflect on the areas of your life draining your energy and explore how to bring ease – even if it pisses some people off. Protect your peace. It is an essential step on your leadership journey. Spend the currency of your energy wisely.

As 2023 takes its final bow, there’s no better time to reflect on your year and set informed intentions for 2024. Reflection is one of the most powerful leadership practices. It helps us learn, unlearn, and grow. Take time to sit with what happened in 2023 and get curious about how you want to enter the year ahead.

We all go through different seasons in life. Moments of profound learning and growth, setbacks, and obstacles. Think of them as chapters in your unique story. We can’t always control the highs and lows of our leadership journey. What we can do is build our resilience and tap into practices that allow us to embrace our seasons of growth, stand in self-compassion, and find purpose in the madness.

Have you been overidentifying with imposter syndrome, lacking confidence, and burning out? Here’s what to do: Appoint your own personal board of directorsBuild your personalized leadership brandLearn your limits and set boundariesPrioritize joy and connectionListen to the podcast to learn more!

When you’re caught in the middle of work, family, and just life in general, it’s so easy for the passage of time to feel like one big blur. That’s why this summer, I want to invite you to take time to pause, breathe, and reflect on your year so far. Learn. Refocus. Align. Take what you’ve learned to enter the last half of 2023 with intention by making conscious choices. Refocus on your goals and align with how you want to show up in the world. To receive a free reflective journal that guides you through this podcast, visit holonleadership.org/newsletter.

An unstoppable force is changing how we work and live, says Gallup. The pandemic created a culture shock that shifted everything. The good news is that this gives leaders the opportunity to reflect on what role work plays in their life and wellbeing, co-design an engaging work experience, and apply their talents and leadership in the world with purpose. So ask yourself, can you make a difference where you work? And better yet – will you?

Is there a voice in the back of your mind that tells you you aren’t good enough? Does self-doubt get in the way of you and your brilliance? You’re not alone. Imposter Syndrome affects us all. It impairs our relationships, job performance, and overall fulfillment, and keeps a gap between who we are now and who we want to be. But it doesn’t have to.

If you feel that you’re disconnected from the point of it all right now or like you’re running on fumes – you’re not alone, but you’re not stuck either. Get your head above the slog and clear the noise. This season of your life you’re in right now is exactly that, a season. Digging into your resiliency practices and aligning with your purpose will help get you through it. For exclusive prompts, tools, and resources to help you along your leadership journey, subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.holonleadership.org/contact/newsletter/. Need help navigating your leadership journey? Learn more about Saralyn’s coaching services for individuals and teams today: https://www.holonleadership.org/services/. Follow Saralyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holon_leadership/?hl=en. Connect with Saralyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynhodgkin/.

Navigating uncertainty is hard. What helps? Letting go of your need to control the situation. Sit with your emotions, acknowledge your fears, and face the unknown. To hold your big feelings, building the capacity to hold resiliency makes it a whole lot easier. Create and commit to resilience-building practices to rely on that stock of resiliency when you need it. For exclusive prompts, tools, and resources to help you along your leadership journey, subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.holonleadership.org/contact/newsletter/. Need help navigating your leadership journey? Learn more about Saralyn’s coaching services for individuals and teams today: https://www.holonleadership.org/services/. Follow Saralyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holon_leadership/?hl=en. Connect with Saralyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynhodgkin/.

Just like that, we find ourselves in the final month of the year. And with it comes the perfect opportunity to reflect back on 2022 and what it has taught you. Reflection is powerful. It helps clear the clutter and the noise and helps you focus on what’s important to you now. Let’s get intentional about the practice of learning and growth through the process of reflecting. For exclusive prompts, tools, and resources to help you along your leadership journey, subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.holonleadership.org/contact/newsletter/. Follow Saralyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holon_leadership/?hl=en. Connect with Saralyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynhodgkin/. Need help navigating your leadership journey? Learn more about Saralyn’s coaching services for individuals and teams today: https://www.holonleadership.org/services/.

Receiving feedback can be difficult. Sometimes it’s solicited, sometimes not. Sometimes triggering, sometimes not. Regardless, it can be easy to take offense to any form of criticism and dismiss its value. The key here is to ground yourself and gain perspective so you’re able to handle that feedback and appreciate all that it’s trying to teach you. For exclusive prompts, tools, and resources to help you along your leadership journey, subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.holonleadership.org/contact/newsletter/. Follow Saralyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holon_leadership/?hl=en. Connect with Saralyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynhodgkin/. Need help navigating your leadership journey? Learn more about Saralyn’s coaching services for individuals and teams today: https://www.holonleadership.org/services/.

Gratitude comes in the form of warm and fuzzies. There's no doubt about it. But it also comes from those places that you're avoiding, that are uncomfortable, that are triggering you, and that are pissing you off. Part of the practice of having gratitude is looking at the things that you don't want to be looking at, leaning into the discomfort, and learning from it. For exclusive prompts, tools, and resources to help you along your leadership journey, subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.holonleadership.org/contact/newsletter/. Follow Saralyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holon_leadership/?hl=en. Connect with Saralyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynhodgkin/. Need help navigating your leadership journey? Learn more about Saralyn’s coaching services for individuals and teams today: https://www.holonleadership.org/services/.

Your inner work starts with setting healthy boundaries in your relationships. Boundaries are expectations and needs that help you feel safe and comfortable in your relationships, according to Nedra Glover Tawwab. Simply put, they help you prioritize self-care and allow your leadership to thrive. For exclusive prompts, tools, and resources to help you along your leadership journey, subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.holonleadership.org/contact/newsletter/. Follow Saralyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holon_leadership/?hl=en. Connect with Saralyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynhodgkin/. Need help navigating your leadership journey? Learn more about Saralyn’s coaching services for individuals and teams today: https://www.holonleadership.org/services/.

Receiving feedback isn’t easy. It can be difficult to take criticism from others – even if it’s coming from a constructive place. But just like giving feedback to others allows us to move forward in relationship with others, allowing yourself to receive that feedback does the same. To receive feedback with curiosity, understanding, and self-compassion you need to do your own work, advocate for what you need, have a growth mindset, and integrate what you learned. For exclusive prompts, tools, and resources to help you along your leadership journey, subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.holonleadership.org/contact/newsletter/. Follow Saralyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holon_leadership/?hl=en. Connect with Saralyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynhodgkin/. Need help navigating your leadership journey? Learn more about Saralyn’s coaching services for individuals and teams today: https://www.holonleadership.org/services/.