Leadership matters! I help tech leaders develop the skills and capabilities they need to attract, engage, and align great employees. My goal is to give successful companies the tools and mindsets they need to grow the next generation, the next level of leaders throughout the organization, and not just at the C-suite level.
Do you stretch yourself or recharge?
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When you take a break from work and go off for a week or so, do you stretch yourself to try new things and have new experiences, or do you relax and recharge your batteries? Depending on your personality, where you get your energy will vary. (Extraverts tend to recharge from new experiences. Introverts tend to recharge from comfort.) But everybody needs to recharge sometimes. Whether an experience is a “stretch” or a “recharger” depends on your perceptions and intentions. If it puts you in a state of elevated-but-welcome stress a little beyond your comfort zone, it’s probably a stretch. This is a growth opportunity. If it allows you to enjoy the experience without much stress—or if it just seems to flow naturally with no effort—then it is probably a recharger for you. It can pay to be aware of and intentional about the difference.
My wife and I are attending a Star Trek convention. I am going to have the opportunity to meet a lot of new people. But it’s entirely possible to sail through the entire event without making any meaningful connections. Being a raging introvert, I have to stretch myself if I want that to happen. Recognizing this, I did the stretch preparation ahead of time. I modified my usual leadership self-assessment to create the “Starfleet Technical Officer Scorecard” as a fun alternative. (Check it out!) Then I printed “Steve Semler, Commander, Starfleet Training & Simulations Division, Starbase 67” business cards with the QR code and a link to the scorecard on the back to use as a cheeky introduction to people I meet. “Hey, great to meet you! Try out this technical officer leadership skills survey for fun!” That’s the stretch I’m prepared to make—extending myself to meet and talk with as many new people as I can. (Target: 50 for the week.) The rest of the convention is going to be in recharge mode. I am going to venture out to explore things at my own comfort level and pace. (A pace negotiated harmoniously with my wife, Gretchen, of course.) We don’t have to push too hard, but just to enjoy and take things in and have fun. And geek out a bit, too. When you next take some extended vacation time or just a day or two, consider consciously how much you want to push yourself and how you will use the time to recharge. The mere act of thinking about it can boost your ability to focus your attention on what you want. Events are always going to push us into situations where our survival-brain Saboteurs try to hijack us. Being conscious of the opportunity to vary between good stretches and helpful recharging can make it easier to build up the mental fitness to Sagely handle these challenges “back on the job.” Live long and prosper, P.S. - I’ve got Positive Intelligence® classes forming up for March and April. Hit reply to talk with me about getting into one of those classes. Be curious! Ask me about a free 30-minute demo class! Please contact me to schedule one for you or someone you think would benefit. |
Steve Semler
Leadership matters! I help tech leaders develop the skills and capabilities they need to attract, engage, and align great employees. My goal is to give successful companies the tools and mindsets they need to grow the next generation, the next level of leaders throughout the organization, and not just at the C-suite level.
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