[Article & Audio] It's Thanksgiving... or Is It?
It's Thanksgiving... Or Is It?
Every November, the United States celebrates Thanksgiving, which means that all over the country, people are stressed, short-tempered, and scrambling to make their holiday Hallmark-card perfect, because to them, this is The Most Important Thing Ever… at least for now.
Meanwhile in the rest of the world, it’s Thursday, unless you’re on Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean, in which case it’s already Friday.
So what does this date-juggling have to do with you as a leader?
Meanwhile in the rest of the world, it’s Thursday, unless you’re on Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean, in which case it’s already Friday.
So what does this date-juggling have to do with you as a leader?
Take a step back.
One of the skills you need to cultivate to lead effectively is the ability to step back from whatever it is that’s currently got you wrapped around the axle and take a 30,000-foot view of what the rest of your team—in-house or external—is dealing with.
A good leader needs to be able to work with team members so that each of them feels significant, and one strategy to guarantee this is to remember that just because a particular issue or situation is The Most Important Thing Ever to you, it might not even be on anyone else’s radar.
A good leader needs to be able to work with team members so that each of them feels significant, and one strategy to guarantee this is to remember that just because a particular issue or situation is The Most Important Thing Ever to you, it might not even be on anyone else’s radar.
Instead, see if you can find a way to acknowledge, even briefly, just one thing they’re facing that might be keeping them preoccupied. This simple action speaks volumes, and it shows you see them as people, not just as cogs in the business wheel.
And then channel Scarlett O'Hara.
So if you find yourself projecting the exhausting minutiae of your own circumstances onto your team, remember that no matter how frazzled all of you feel right now, tomorrow is another day… and somewhere across the International Date Line, it’s already tomorrow.
About the Author
✈✈ Gina Longo is a former airline captain and flight instructor who flew as pilot in command on 3000+ flights and carried more than 75,000 people (and many pets) safely to their destinations. She then moved to Great Britain to instruct corporate pilots, later spending three years as an international solo traveller.
As a leadership development trainer and the creator of The Calmfident Leadership® System, Gina specializes in helping businesses reduce employee turnover by improving leadership skills, so bad bosses don't drive away good employees.
Her great love is German Shepherds, and as a proud U.S. Air Force brat, she tends to answer the question "Where are you from?" with an enigmatic "It depends."
As a leadership development trainer and the creator of The Calmfident Leadership® System, Gina specializes in helping businesses reduce employee turnover by improving leadership skills, so bad bosses don't drive away good employees.
Her great love is German Shepherds, and as a proud U.S. Air Force brat, she tends to answer the question "Where are you from?" with an enigmatic "It depends."
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