Leadership Bucket

What the....? I know. Bear with me.

So think with me for a minute...What can you handle? How much can you handle before you break or stress out? I believe that each one of us have something like a "leadership bucket". The bigger your bucket, the more you can handle. Have you ever seen someone lead effectively in one situation and then totally "blow it" in another situation? I know I have. I've even been that person before!

Here are some ways that you can tell if YOUR bucket is too small: Are there leadership decisions you are putting off that you know you should make? Do you try to avoid certain people in your organization? Do you feel like you're not as good a leader as you used to be? These are all indicators that your bucket is too small. We instinctly avoid situations that we feel we can't handle. We naturally stay away from things we aren't good at. But you don't have to stay there!

3 Things you can do now to enlarge your "leadership bucket":

1. Read, Read, Read - Almost all of the great leaders today are readers. You may not read but one paragraph a day...but put some information in your head! I don't know how many times I have been burnt out and stressed out, and one line from a book gave me that new idea that sparked my excitement again.
2. Find a Hero - Who's a leader that has what you want? If you could take a leadership quality from someone, who would it be? You can learn alot from another person's mistakes and successes. (Note: You don't have to be obnoxious. You're "hero" probably never needs to know what you're up to. Just pay attention and ask the right questions.)
3. Blow Money and Waste Time - WHAT?! I say it that way so that you won't forget it, but what I mean is ENJOY YOURSELF! Enjoy your family, plan that next vacation, go eat somewhere nice on a week night, take a long lunch, etc. You will be more relaxed and this in turn will get your creativity flowing and make your "bucket" bigger.

You can't lead if you can't handle the pressure of leading. So, what are YOU going to do to enlarge your "leadership bucket"?