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April 23, 2025 8 mins

 What if you're not at your best? We've all experienced those days where everything feels like an uphill battle, when no matter the effort, things don’t seem to fall into place. In this episode, I explore the challenges and essential strategies for handling those tough days with grace and introspection. Through personal stories, like my memorable encounter with a rushed and hungry surgeon, I reflect on the importance of self-care and understanding when it's crucial to pause, reassess, and adjust our approach to leadership when our capacity is compromised.

My journey as an educator and mentor has taught me the value of emotional intelligence in navigating pressure. Being a leader often means maintaining composure, even when chaos might reign internally. I share how crucial it is to embrace those off days not as setbacks but as opportunities to recalibrate, ask for help, and be honest about our limitations with ourselves and our teams. Through my stories and insights, I aim to provide a roadmap for showing up effectively, even when we're not at our best.

 

“If we can get grounded and centered and question, ‘what's needed in this situation?’”

 

Today on The Rising Leader:

  • Acknowledging when you’re not at your best and taking appropriate action is crucial.
  • The paradox of pushing through versus knowing when to pause for personal care and reflection.
  • The positive outcomes that stem from ensuring your emotional and physical readiness before tackling high-pressure responsibilities.
  • Open communication can prevent misunderstandings when you're not performing at your peak.
  • Seeking support and creating new agreements can alleviate pressure and improve outcomes.
  • The value of using transparency to empower your team with context about your current state.
  • Determining when a commitment requires your full capacity and when adjustments are necessary.
  • Being truthful about your condition fosters understanding and minimizes potential negative impacts.

Grab Your Copy of The Rising Leader Handbook

Do you find yourself rising through your company's ranks so fast that you wish you had a manual to become an effective leader? Then, The Rising Leader Handbook is right for you.

In The Rising Leader Handbook, you’ll learn how to shift your perspective and gain the leadership skills you need, regardless of the breadth of your responsibilities, by leveraging the relationships you’ve built with the CEO, the Leadership Team, and the team you lead as well as your relationship with yourself.

Visit The Rising Leader Handbook: Turning High Achievers into Effective Leaders to grab your copy and start mastering your skills to become your team leader.

 

Leader, It’s Time to Rise!

 

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Rising Leader Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

 

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