If there is one very important lesson that I have learned while on holidays over the last three weeks, it is this.
Just like a car going for its pink slip (or, as I noticed I had reverted to thinking after time back in the UK, its MOT) – as leaders, and simply as human beings, we have a responsibility to take the time to do a re-register.
If we don’t self-audit, or reassess, the way we do business, our plans and our general state of being, then our ability to do business effectively suffers proportionately. In the long-term, the risk is we head for a very bland bottom line.
YOU are the power behind Brand You; and the ability to see beyond the minutiae, to literally sit down, look at your own style of managing and say ‘what is right and what is wrong with this picture?’ is one of the most valuable tools you can possibly put in that metaphorical Management Toolbox. You have a responsibility to look after the heart and mind of Brand You, the personal control centre that your team, your clients and your company or corporate area depends on.
How do you do a self-audit on your own management style? What are some of the things you need to examine? How do you get past the equivalent of the leadership RTA and get a big fat tick on your leadership ability?
- NUMBER ONE. DEFINE AND ASSESS YOUR GOALS: Why? Because they shift. Do it every single time you reassess your business direction and who Brand You is.
- LOOK AT WHETHER YOU ARE SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF: Being able to effectively delegate in Brand You is one of the key areas where you can save yourself time, heartache and energy. You should be looking at the Big Picture, not the peripheral. That leads on to –
- TRUST: Are you trusting yourself? Trusting your team, trust your ability to pick the right people?
- TIME OUT: Are you making a point of giving yourself a break from what you do. This is definitely something I have realised is essential! Radio silence is not a crime against humanity. People will cope. The world will continue to turn if you unplug for a while.
- NOT WAVING, DROWNING: Management means managing – not panicking. This means planning, planning and planning. If you are constantly at the point of last minute throwing together, you are not managing. You are drowning.
- MASTER OF NONE: If you can’t do something, either work out if you have the time to learn it, or outsource it to an expert. Don’t waste hours floundering about. This goes back to management meaning managing. If cost is an issue, work out contra. The value exchange is an immensely undervalued (excuse the pun) way to carry out business.
- TEAM SPIRIT: Surround yourself with those people who understand the Power of the Personal. Who see what Brand You is about. They will work with you, not against you, to make your business goals a reality. They will in turn accept your advice and knowledge when they are doing their own self-audit.
These may sound like simple points, but it is astounding how quickly we lose sight of them when we don’t take the time to ask ‘Who am I, and what are my goals?’ in terms of our business.
I am back ready to focus on my own goals with a clarity that is brighter and more direct than ever, after putting Brand Janine on the business car hoist.
MOT passed. With flying colours. Now I just need to get back to the gym!
