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Face-to-Face with Life (and Leadership)

Leigh Bailey | April 3, 2020 | Blog | Leadership/Other | 2 minute read

If one were to distill leadership into one sentence, it might be this: “The way to resolve our resistance to life is to meet it face-to-face.”

The ability to remain open and meet life face-to-face is critical to your growth and success as a leader. But though it sounds simple, it is by no means easy. It requires a level of mindfulness, courage and patience beyond what many leaders are capable of.

At The Bailey Group (TBG), we work with clients to accelerate their innate drive for personal growth and to leverage their personal growth into the development of new leadership competencies.  This is inherent in our proprietary coaching process:

But what does it mean to “accelerate the innate drive for personal growth”? Research into healthy adult development shows that development occurs as we learn to see the events of our lives objectively (i.e. without distortion and with gentleness towards self and others) rather than a lens distorted by our fears and vulnerabilities. As we develop this capability, our willingness to make different choices and behave in new ways, even when it is frightening or uncomfortable, increases. This ability to meet life “face-to-face” is at the core of resilience, creativity, boldness and openness to others, all critical competencies for effective leaders.

According to research by Robert Hogan and others, learning to see the world more objectively requires growth in specific personality characteristics. These characteristics are initially developed early in life and turn into habits of thought and behavior. However, it is possible, using mindfulness techniques to build awareness of your habits, and to make “course corrections.” Critical characteristics related to leadership effectiveness are embedded in TBG’s coaching model and include:

  • Self-awareness
  • Curiosity
  • Humility
  • Resilience
  • Ambition
  • Empathy
  • Courage

If all this sounds a bit complicated, well, it is. That is why having a professionally trained coach during this time of COVID-19 related challenges is so important. Every day, by supporting our clients to “meet the world face-to-face,” our experienced cadre of coaches and current and former CEOs help clients to:

  • Create effective strategies for communicating with employees in ways that create maximum certainty and help to calm anxiety
  • Get refocused on the work that needs to get done
  • Find creative solutions to new challenges
  • Make difficult decisions
  • Sleep better at night
  • Reduce/avoid unforeseen risk
  • Feel supported and less alone during these challenging times

If any or all of these resonate with you, send me an email, we’ll meet face-to-face remotely!

Stay safe, be well, and be patient with others and yourself!