Welcome to the last episode of November.  If you celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. As you know, we have spent this month learning about the “Earning It” Mindset. We have identified what it is, why it matters, how it has helped us succeed, and yet how it can hold us back and damage our executive careers if we aren’t intentional about how and when to apply this mindset. It's time to close out this mini-series with the last key aspect of this mindset; finding the balance. The secret is not to eliminate the mindset but to make a few adjustments. Pivot the definition of this "rule." Instead of thinking, "I must do something," shift it to "I must add value." Instead of "do" it is "add." If we shift our definition, it doesn't mean that we don't strive, work hard, or perform. It simply means that we do all of those things in a way that allows us to compete with ourselves and provide more thoughtful, intellectually focused contributions instead of physical contributions. When we are focused on adding value, there is no measuring stick for which we can compare ourselves to others. Meaning, we can't get frustrated when someone doesn't carry their weight, because how do you measure your "value-add" vs. someone else's? Everyone plays a different role, has different gifts, and may have been asked by the company to add value differently. This new definition frees you from comparing yourself and measuring your performance to others. When it comes to adding value, you will generate your specific results and earn your reward for it. Moreover, you will know you earned it because you know you added value in a way that is unique to you. Adding value will ensure you focus on doing the right work for the role, feel worthy of the reward, and will allow you to succeed in the role overall. In other areas of your life, housework, yardwork, etc. adding value will still mean physical labor.  But as an executive, adding value will mean mental work. Make the shift.  Change the definition of the function you perform (adding value).  This is how you reap the benefits of the “earning it” mindset in all areas of your life. Would you like for the team to learn more about the "earning it" mindset? Send an email to info@legendleaders.com. Be Legendary.

This episode is going to be amazing and I am excited to dive into this topic with you! Last week we talked through the fact that the "Earning It" Mindset is a double-edged sword.  It has very much served us in our careers because it helped us succeed and achieve in school, college, and as we climbed the ranks in our careers. Yet for all the ways it has served us, there have been instances where it has actually held us back. When we have looked at others who haven't "carried their weight" or performed as much work or action as us, we have felt resentment and frustration. When someone has taken our ideas and shared them as their own, we have felt betrayed. And now that we are executives, this mindset could hold us back even further. This is where I see top-talented leaders start to falter and where this mindset goes from being helpful to being a hindrance. How? Walk down this mental pathway with me: As an executive, are you performing tasks? Are you rolling up your sleeves and getting work done? Are you solving problems and putting plans in place? The reality is that for the majority of executives, the answer is no. As an executive, you are contributing to the business in a very significant way, but not in a way you are used to. Not in a way that you define as "earning it." Executives aren’t doers in the sense that we would define a “doer” in our careers.  They are thought leaders and people leaders. Throughout our careers, before being executives, we had to do the work.  Whether that was truly doing the physical work to start, or whether it was overseeing people doing the physical work and putting plans in place to get more productive work out of them for example, we did the work. As an executive, you’re no longer expected to "do" the work. You are now expected to bring all of your knowledge, experience, expertise, and judgment to the table to help the company strategically grow, navigate both industry and economic risks and move the business forward. While these actions are beyond valuable to the business and organization, if we have an “earning it” mindset, we aren’t going to see this type of contribution as valuable. This is going to cause struggle and conflict within ourselves. If we do not move past it, we will delay and even damage our careers. If we take the belief that the only way we can add value is if we do the work, sacrifice, put in the time, go the extra mile, and labor over the task at hand, then we are only going to be looking for those functions in our executive role. When we don’t find them, we will create them.  The problem with this is again, the company doesn’t want that behavior from its executives. So here is the golden nugget: if you can’t pivot your “earning it” mindset as an executive, you will focus on the wrong actions, which will damage your career. It’s a pivot you must make if you want to succeed. Join me next week to discuss how to keep this mindset or belief in check.  When do we apply it vs. not? How do we pivot it? Send your questions, comments, or requests for onsite training to: info@legendleaders.com. Be Legendary!

Welcome to the third episode in this mini-series on the “Earning It” Mindset. Today is all about how this mindset has served us in our careers. That's right! The "earning it" mindset has served us quite well throughout our lives and it's time to give credit where it's due. Before I dive in, I want you to understand that most behaviors and mindsets that we have tend to serve us in some capacity. If they didn’t, we would have already gotten rid of them by now. So when it comes to the “earning it” mindset, know that it has absolutely served you in your career.  Our parents were not wrong when they taught us to work hard, give a little extra, etc.  It worked for them, their parents, etc.  So of course it’s going to work for us. Putting in the hard work helped you earn the degree, get the amazing job you stepped into after college, and help you earn your promotions, pay raises, bonuses, etc. This is why as we have been talking through this mindset you may have felt a little bit of confusion. "Is this mindset one that is good for me or bad?" Know this, it has served you.  Recognize it.  Celebrate it.  Appreciate your parents or family who taught you to work hard and put in the effort that generates the results you want to see in your life.  They have helped you succeed. This is the positive edge of this double-edged sword that is this mindset. It is a prime example of a value or belief that has served you in the past or may even continue to serve you in life.  Yet we have to realize that it won’t serve us in all parts of our lives. This is the distinction we must make here.  Has it served us?  Yes.  Will it serve us in all parts of our careers? The answer is no. Next week we will dive into the areas of your career where the “earning it” mindset will hold you back from professional success. Questions or comments? Send me an email: info@legendleaders.com and let's talk. Be Legendary.

Welcome to another episode.  We are diving into the topic of “earning it” this month.  When I say “earning it” I am defining that as a believe that an action must be performed to not only receive a reward but more importantly, feel as though we are worthy of that reward. Did you do your homework from last week?  Did you think about your current mindset and the association you have between your actions and mindset? If yes, good for you. If not, take a moment now to navigate this concept.   Because today, we are diving into the next phase of this discussion.  We must understand WHERE this mindset comes from. Surely the majority of us didn't just come up with it on our own. So where did this come from? While there are many pathways for this mindset, there is a common one that I will share with you today. Transparently, for most of us, this mindset originates from our family. It comes from being raised in a middle-class household. Now look, this is not an attack on the middle class.  I grew up in a middle-class family and I'm grateful for it. The middle class is a hardworking class of individuals and is the largest class in the US.  Let’s think about the characteristics of the middle class. Hardworking Independent Doesn’t ask for handouts Not everyone gets a trophy Hard work results in money earned and money earned pays for the car, the house, the food, and the clothes that I have In other words, the middle class “earns it.”  They put in the effort to get the results.  They have consistently learned through personal experience that if I work this job and show up in this capacity, I will earn my paycheck.  When I earn my paycheck, I can purchase these other items. Think about your family.  I watched my parents work hard, sacrifice, give, serve, and “do what needed to be done.” There was no ability to question why it had to be that way or why it was that way, it simply was. So when you went to school, did you expect to just show up and be given an A?  No, you earned that A. You earned that degree. You earned that paycheck. You earned the money to buy your first car, house, vacation, etc. You learned to do that from your family and the way you were raised. What I’m trying to say is that for most of us, this “earning it” mindset has been ingrained in us as a way of life. If we want to be successful in this world. The only way that will happen is with an “earning it” mentality. While that can be great in some areas of our lives, it can be detrimental in others. If I only feel like I am worthy of the raise or the promotion or the bonus if I “earn it,” and earning it means I sacrifice, I miss out on my family time, and I have to give to be worthy of receiving, then the work-life balance is going to suffer. If I feel like I have given everything above and beyond and am not rewarded for it, I’m going to feel resentful and maybe even disrespected. We are going to talk about the impacts of this mindset over the next few weeks.  What I want you to walk away with today is understanding that for the majority of us, we didn’t sit down and think to ourselves, “OK, I want to have an earning it mindset.” We simply learned it by watching our parents, by being taught how to be successful in this world through conversations with parents and mentors, etc.  And they all taught us the “earning it” mindset because it’s what they know and it is what has worked for them. Now that you understand what it is and where it came from, you have the power to change it.  The question is, do you want to change it? Join me next week when we talk through how this mindset has served us at various times throughout our careers. Do you have questions or want additional training? Send me an email: info@legendleaders.com and let's talk. Be Legendary!

Welcome to November; the month of the “earning it” mindset.  80% of success is due to mindset.  If you believe you can, you do, am I right?  We all know how conversations go when we are confident vs. when we are meek and doubtful.  So let’s spend the month talking about what I call the “earning it” mindset.  This is the time of year when you are setting budgets, talking about bonuses, and in active negotiations and discussions for yourself, your team, and the business.  My goal is to ensure you have the right mindset and perspective when you go into those conversations so they go in your favor.  When it comes to the "earning it" mindset, we are going to dive into what it is, why it matters, how it has helped you in your career, how it could hurt you, and then we will wrap it all up with how to find the balance with this mindset so it serves you at the highest level.   That’s the plan for the month. So today, let’s get into the topic by talking about what the “earning it” mindset is. Earning it essentially means you did the work to generate the reward, right? You performed a task or did an action that resulted in a reward of some sort.  It could be as simple as playing a card game and winning the hand, to showing up to work and contributing to earn your paycheck. Every single day we are performing actions that generate results.  They could be good results or bad results, but we are generating results. The key to this discussion is our perception of the relationship between actions and results. Is it cause and effect? When I do X I generate Y.   That’s what the earning-it mindset is founded upon. From a career perspective, it is: I did these actions within my role, therefore I have earned my paycheck. I took on this extra project, I sacrificed, and I gave above and beyond, therefore I have earned this promotion. The link we have within our brain matters because it is part of the definition of this mindset. Ultimately an “earning it” mindset means I must DO something to get the reward.  If I don’t do the action or perform the function, I may receive the reward, but I didn’t earn it.   So no doubt, as you are thinking through this, you’re already asking yourself the key questions as it relates to “earning it.” Which is good, because that’s your homework from this episode. I want you to take some time to self-reflect.  Do you believe that you must actually “earn” the paycheck, the award, the bonus, the promotion, etc. to be “worthy” of receiving the reward? That’s what it comes down to.  If you didn’t do the work but got the reward, are you ok with that or do you feel like you need to work harder and longer to make up for it? Think about it.  Next week we are going to dive into the most common reason many of us started off our careers with this “earning it” mindset. This is a concept I am sharing in my book that will be published next year.  If you want to learn more about it, send me an email (info@legendleaders.com) and I will happily share more with you and your organization. Be Legendary!

Welcome to the last episode of this series.  We have been talking about some of the common roadblocks of career success. Today, let’s wrap this up by talking about the warning signs. How do you know you have hit a roadblock?  How do you know you are living in the space of career decline vs. career momentum?  You're not hitting your business metric(s) target(s) and you don’t know why.  This is a clue.  No doubt we have all had had times in our career where the numbers didn’t align. Why? It may an external issue or it may be due to internal issues (your mindset, leadership and/or actions). We need to investigate further to find the root cause.  Are you adding value or are you trying to be valuable?  Are you blinded by your efforts? See the clue and follow up on it. You find yourself saying, “I’m not doing that, I’m going to do it this way.”   Again, this is a clue.  It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong or that sometimes doing it your way isn’t warranted.  You’re in a leadership role to help set the course of direction from time to time.  Sometimes you have to do things your way.  But if you’re constantly saying, “Nope, that’s wrong.  I’m doing it this way,” I would challenge you to pause and ask yourself why. Are you doing it because you’re being asked to forge the path or are you doing it because you don’t like the way the organization is asking you to execute?  You can’t dig in your heels and win in the long run. Bitterness and frustration. If you resent your organization, are bitter because you believe you’re giving more than you’re receiving, and are frustrated with the lack of rewards you’re being given–stop and take a look. Are you sacrificing unnecessarily?  Are you blaming the company for your decisions? These are the top 3 warning signs that you’re sitting at a roadblock in your career instead of driving forward to a successful path. If you believe your team or organization is stuck behind one or more success roadblocks, email me and let's chat about it (info@legendleaders.com). Be Legendary.

We have been talking about roadblocks that prevent career success this month.  Today, let’s dive into the concept of "valuable vs. value-add." While this week's topic and last week's topic are separate, they do tie together to a degree. Last week we talked about the concept of “I gave you everything" or "I've tried everything." If you listened to last week's episode, you will recall that we talked about giving what we wanted to give, what we felt safe to give, or what we felt like we should give and then called that "everything." The problem with that is that giving those things may or may not create success for us in our careers.  It depends on whether the company values that behavior or not. So today, let’s talk about value. As you know, I talk about The 1 Rule of executive success.  The 1 Rule is to add consistent value within your career. Who defines value? The company is the entity in this relationship that defines what is valuable vs. what isn’t valuable.   Therefore, if we are going to add value, we must do so as defined by the company. This means we must give what the company asks us to give and perform in the ways the company asks us to perform. We can’t sacrifice in ways that we feel comfortable sacrificing. Nor can we sacrifice in a way that seems appropriate to us but is not appropriate in the eyes of the company. It all boils down to value. What does the company value?  What does the company define as valuable contributions to the point that they promote individuals for those contributions?  What does the company value when it bonuses individuals for those contributions? The company shows what it values by promoting and bouncing those behaviors and contributions and "value-adds." A common roadblock to success is the desire to be or feel valuable vs. actually being a value-add. These could potentially be the same thing (being valuable and being a value-add), but when we are talking about a success roadblock, these two are not the same. When we focus on being valuable, it’s mostly a selfish act.  We want to feel safe and appreciated.  We are seeking something to serve ourselves. Being a value-add on the other hand is a selfless action.  When we add value, we focus on contributing and meeting the needs of someone or something (in this case, the company) in a way that best fits that situation. Most people mix up valuable vs. value-add.  When you are adding value, you become valuable to the organization. However, when you are focused on being valuable, you are focused on self-preservation.  This is a self-centered act that rarely leads to value-added contributions. Careers fail when people focus on being valuable over being a value-add. We can’t be selfish.  We must focus on serving and adding value at the highest level.  Then we will have career success both defined by us and defined by the organization. Be Legendary.

Today is what I call, “I’ve tried everything!” or "I gave you everything!"  When we are trying to create career success, this mindset is one of the most common roadblocks preventing us from moving forward and being successful. Inherently what we like to say are things like, "I don't know why I'm not successful. I give that company everything! I sacrifice, I work extra, I do all the things!" It sounds like a relationship gone bad, doesn't it? "I gave him everything!" The reality (in both your career and your relationship) is that you gave them everything except what they wanted or needed. If you met all of their needs, your career/relationship would be successful. It's seriously that simple. So why is it that we feel like we gave the company everything and yet we aren't being rewarded for it? When I have conversations with leaders who have been laid off, let go, demoted, or moved to another department, most of the time they are completely baffled by the situation and this mindset is the culprit. When we are giving and sacrificing and yet not being rewarded for it, the honest truth of the matter is that we are doing the actions and functions that we value or that we feel comfortable doing. However, those actions and functions are not what the company needs from us. Whether we agree or disagree with that doesn't matter. The reality is that the company decides what it rewards and if we aren't doing the actions that the company appreciates, we will not succeed. Have you ever spent your time sacrificing your evenings and weekends for your company, only to not get a thank you or an acknowledgment for your sacrifice?  And then you get angry because you’re like, “I gave you my life for you!” Think back to that moment. Then I want you to seriously ask yourself, did the company ask you to sacrifice your time or did you simply do it because that’s who you are?  Did the company ask you to work late or did you do it because you felt the pressure to get the job done? Sometimes companies will ask for extra hands, set expectations for extra work outside of the norm, etc.  And most of the time those companies will come back and recognize those employees and appreciate their efforts.  Even if it’s just a verbal acknowledgment, it’s done.  When you don’t get the recognition, realize you either have 1. A crappy boss or 2. You actually created the situation to sacrifice yourself without being asked.  In other words, you gave the company everything but it wasn’t what the company wanted. Yes, the company wanted the end result, but the company may not have expected you to sacrifice yourself and your personal life to get there.  There are some companies that would actually consider that poor performance and bad leadership. The key here is that you must understand what the company values and how it wants you to deliver that value.   We can’t give it in the way we perceive we should.  We can’t sacrifice and slog away and suffer and hope that they will recognize the sacrifice.  If it wasn’t requested, why would they need to acknowledge it?  If anything, they might reprimand your poor judgment. So, before you say, “I gave that company everything,” ask yourself if you gave everything you WANTED to give or if you gave the company everything it valued. So how do you solve this? The first action is to recognize that while you may be working hard, you're doing work that the company doesn't value. Instead of continuing to do that same work and demanding the company take notice, stop. Instead, open yourself up to understanding exactly what the company is asking of you and pivot your focus and actions to deliver on those asks. Be Legendary.

This month we are focusing on a topic that we all think about and talk about, yet many of us avoid actually learning about, it's the roadblocks of career success. I know it's not fun, but know this, if you know exactly what the roadblocks are you can avoid them and get yourself around them if you are currently stuck behind one of them. This month is not meant to be negative but is meant to be empowering! Over today and the following 3 Wednesdays we are going to spend time together defining the details around the roadblocks, the what, the why, and the how, and then we will spend some time discussing how to get around them. Today's roadblock: understanding success. know that may sound crazy, but we must understand how we define success and, equally important, how the company defines success. For you, success may be reaching a specific position in the organization, having a specific set of hours, a certain pay amount, or even a defined number of weeks of PTO.  None of these reasons are wrong.  The point is that how I define success could be very different from how you define success.  So don’t look to my definition to measure yourself, create your own. Second, we need to understand how the company defines success.  This will be clear in the organization's policies, core values, expectations, and culture. If the company wants you at work at 8 am for example, and that’s how it defines success, you must be at work no later than 8 am.  Period.  The company as a whole will use language like attendance, punctuality, “on time,” and so on and so forth to convey its definition of success.  It will drive home points about reliability and starting the day off correctly by being on time and being someone the team and customer can count on.   Whether I like being at work by 8 a.m. or not, it doesn’t matter.  The company has defined success in this capacity and therefore I will either achieve those measures or I will not be successful in the company. I know that’s a basic example, but it is an example that we can relate to and we can clearly understand how the company defines success for its employees. We see the definition in policies, language, and culture. Additionally, understanding your definition of success is critical for you to feel satisfied and fulfilled. Understanding the company’s definition of success is critical for you to actually be successful in your role.   Your homework today is to define success for yourself and get abundantly clear on how your organization defines a successful employee.  If an employee does what actions, they should be successful.  Define “what” in that instance and see what you come up with. You may find that you’re doing all of those actions.  You may find you’re doing none of them.  You may find you’re doing some of them but don’t want to do all of them. Whatever you find, face the truth of how you’re performing and what that means to your overall success and longevity in the organization. Be Legendary.

Welcome to the last episode of our monthly mini-series focused on burnout. As we wrap up the month, we can't close out the topic without talking about what I call life-preserver techniques. We already know the clues of a potential burnout situation. How do you handle one of those situations? What if you find yourself moving towards burnout?  The first action you must take is to do what we said a few weeks ago, accept the truth. The truth of the matter is that you have seen one or more clues that this is a marathon or "Groundhog Day Perfect Storm" situation.  Yes, you are amazing, yes, you are strong, yes, you are an overcomer, but in this situation, you do not win by pushing through.  You win by being strategic. We can’t be strategic if we aren’t accepting that this is a situation where “pushing through” just won’t cut it.  So again, step 1: accept that this is a Groundhog Day Perfect Storm situation.  The way you thrive in the space is not by pushing harder, it’s by working smarter. This means step 2 is to get strategic.  The company is facing a pretty tough situation, right?  That’s why you’re living through this insanity.  If we go back to The 1 Rule of business success that we teach here at Legend Leaders, then we are reminding ourselves that our job is to add value to the organization. In this instance, you must ask yourself, "What are the best ways for me to add value?" The answer won’t be slogging through the mud and pushing harder, the answer is coming up with strategic solutions to work smarter.  This could be creating internal programs to grow in other areas of the business while one sector is being negatively impacted for example. The point is that we must find a way to keep adding value and we can’t do that if we just put our heads down and push forward.  These Groundhog Day Perfect Storm situations tend to redefine what the company values.  To stay out of burnout, you must acknowledge that and pivot accordingly. The third action is to be intentional with your time.  If you have faced the truth, and realigned yourself with what the company values in this situation, then you have to be the leader who spends his/her time where it matters. Meaning that you can’t be involved in peer-to-peer gossip or complaint/frustration sessions for the bulk of the day.  While those conversations may seem to make you feel better, they actually create negative momentum in your performance. Overcome that mindset and the desire to belabor the problems by taking your calendar and getting intentional with who you’re talking to, and what you’re talking about, and ensure everything you’re spending your time on is helping to add value in this phase of the organization’s life cycle. When you do this, you will be surprised with the time you get back that you can then use to still have your downtime, take those mental breaks, enjoy your family time, etc. Said differently, trade the non-productive conversations for personal downtime and you will be better off for it.  It will ward off mental exhaustion and allow you to be even more strategic and intentional in your dealings. So again, 3 steps: 1. See the truth of the situation 2. Get strategic to add value 3. Spend your time productively As always, if you’re uncertain about any of this, send me an email, and let’s talk through it (info@legendleaders.com). Moreover, if you want your entire team/company to learn how to avoid burnout, send an email with the details. Be Legendary!

I hope that you are enjoying this series as much as I am. What a feeling of empowerment we have when we learn how to take control of our lives, our emotions, and our future. At this point, we have spent time defining burnout, and understanding why it happens, and last week we did some internal reflection to ensure we start to see the reality of the situations we are in so we can best cope and navigate them. Last week we talked about "giving the extra." Is part of your brand giving that little extra push?  Where are you right now when it comes to sprint, marathon, or typical work? This was your homework from last week. If you didn't tackle it, I would encourage you to do it. Now, I heard from some of you that you think you look for the signs as to what is a sprint vs. a marathon but you would like a little clarity on that.  So with that, we are going to dive into today’s topic, which is "Look for the Clues." That’s right.  Look for the clues. What are the signs of a marathon vs. a sprint? Remember in the first episode we called those marathon days the "Groundhog Day Perfect Storm?" How do we know the difference between an exception vs. a Groundhog Day Perfect Storm situation? Let me give you 3 clues to look out for: The company, leadership, the industry, the world, or a combination of those entities are telling you there is no end in sight. When you hear industry experts, internal company leadership, or others with knowledge and authority telling you you are in the middle of a situation that they cannot control nor can they predict when it will end, that’s your clue!  Do not ignore it. That is the sign of a marathon/Groundhog Day Perfect Storm. When the tools or resources are not available to solve a problem. You are responsible for a portion of the business.  You have been given performance targets, financial targets, etc.  However, the resources/support promised to you and your team is no longer available. Without these resources, the likelihood of achieving the result is slim to none. If resources were promised that were necessary to achieve a result and those resources have been delayed or removed, accept that your results will also be delayed or unachievable.  That doesn’t make you a bad leader, recognize the limitations of the situation. When work hours exceed your typical weekly time investment for longer than 2 weeks. This is a big one. We all have an internal number of hours we are willing to work each week.  If not hours, we at least have times throughout the week and weekend that we expect to have downtime. When those downtime moments are sacrificed for more than 2 weeks, that’s a clue. Remember, most sprints or Perfect Storms last a week or two.  So to have two weeks of insanity could be a normal exception in the workplace. But going into week 3 without a defined end date by the organization, that’s a clue. The way we avoid burnout is to replenish ourselves.  This is done with rest, exercise, family time, mental breaks, healthy food, etc.   We cannot expect to get out of a state of exhaustion if we stay in a space that perpetuates it. That’s a recipe for burnout. So if you are entering into week 3 or more of a Perfect Storm, realize it’s probably a Groundhog Day Perfect Storm (i.e., a marathon not a sprint) and you need to stop sacrificing and start taking care of yourself to prevent the burnout and last through this demanding time. These are the big 3 clues to look out for. Are there more?  Of course but these are the most common.  You may not see all 3 in a Groundhog Day Perfect Storm, but you will see one of them and one is enough to help you see the truth of the matter and prevent burnout. Your homework is to look at either past situations where you felt burnt out or your current situation and determine if one or more of these 3 clues existed then or now. As always, if you want support for you and your team, send me an email, and let’s jump on a call (info@legendleaders.com). Be Legendary!

Today we are diving into the truth, because the truth will set you free. How often are you facing the truth at work? I would say as a high-achiever, you're great at facing work problems. Now, personal problems . . . not so much. What does that mean? It means that we are so committed to being the problem-solver in our careers that that commitment can blind us from recognizing the fact that we are headed toward or are already in a state of burnout. Remember last week's analogy of a sprint vs. a marathon? When we do not face the truth or the reality of the situation that we are currently in, our default assumption is that we are in a sprint. Sprints mean we can push through, give more, and "make it happen." What's worse is that even when we realize we are in the middle of a marathon, instead of putting self-care and self-preservation techniques in place to keep us from burning out, we convince ourselves that the finish line is on the horizon and we are almost there. We tell ourselves that "Surely the end is near. I just have to push a little longer." Never have you had to strive this hard, push this long, etc. so the end must be close. It is in this moment right here that puts so many talented women into a state of burnout. Instead of looking for the signs (sprint vs. marathon) and finding evidence to validate that state, they assume.  They assume it's a sprint and that they can hang in there just a little longer. That assumption comes not because they are bad leaders. We aren't bad leaders, we know this.  This assumption, this desire to believe the end is near, comes from both experience and hope. First, we have never had to push hard for more than a few weeks or a month, so experience tells us that most events like this truly are sprints. Naturally we are going to say that is what we are facing because that's what we know. Second, not only is this our most common experience, but on a personal level, we need this situation to end soon. “The end has GOT to be in sight because I seriously can’t do this much longer." Because of these two human emotions/experiences, what do we do? Instead of taking stock of where we are and seeing the truth of the situation, we rally and we push. After all that extra rally, that extra push, that extra “extra” is what got us where we are in our careers in the first place.   It’s part of our brand. So then how do we combat our professional identity and human emotions to face the truth of the situation? The first step is to eliminate the thought that if we don’t push, we aren’t worthy. I know that sounds crazy but listen to me. If part of our professional brand is to give a little extra.  Then naturally we are going to always be looking to give the extra. If we are running a sprint, that works, but if we are in a marathon, it doesn’t. So again, the truth will set you free. We must be willing to recognize that there’s a time and a place for the extra push.  And if we want the chance to add those "extras" during the sprints and be able to be the leader that hunkers down and leads our teams through the slog of a marathon of hard times, we must be willing to see the truth in both the situation we are facing as well as the reality that the “extra” isn’t the only part of our brands that make us great. Today’s homework is to take a second to look within yourself. Is part of your brand pushing through and giving the extra? Are you doing that all of the time or only during sprint moments? Do you know the difference between a marathon and a sprint moment? If you’re uncertain, send me an email and I will send you my calendar link so we can chat through it (info@legendleaders.com). Be Legendary! P.S. If you're interested in having us speak to your organization or team about burnout, please send us an email. We would love to serve your organization/group! (info@legendleaders.com)

Let’s dive into a topic that we are all keenly aware of . . . burnout. We are about to enter the holiday months and that means competing demands. So before the holidays are upon us, let’s put together some strategies to help us avoid or even get out of the state of burnout so we can enjoy the last few months of 2023.  Will you commit to spending this month with me learning these strategies? Before we can talk about the strategies for resolving or avoiding burnout, we must understand what burnout is and how we end up there. So what is burnout? It’s a level of exhaustion that reduces your performance and attitude.  This exhaustion can be physical, mental, emotional, a combination of these 3, or even all 3. Do you feel exhausted right now? I’m not talking about you being tired because it was a "Perfect Storm" week.  A "Perfect Storm" week are those weeks where life, work, and self collide and demands are hitting all at once. Those are exceptions in your normal flow of life. We all have those exceptions from time to time.  That’s normal and we will 100% be exhausted and not be able to give our all by the end of that week. What I’m talking about are the "Groundhog Day Perfect Storm" weeks. Those weeks are when the demands continue day after day after day and you feel further and further behind, and no matter what you do, you can’t get caught up or ahead. It’s almost a feeling of hopelessness at this point because the exhaustion is there and there is no end in sight. Do you see the difference? The Perfect Storm weeks have an end. They are short, a week to two weeks max. Whereas Groundhog Day Perfect Storm weeks do not have a finish line on the horizon. That's how we get into a state of burnout. As high-achieving, high-performing female leaders we tell ourselves, “We just have to push a little harder, and then the peace will come.  Then the break will be here.” We tell ourselves this because we think we are dealing with a Perfect Storm week. Because Perfect Storm weeks are like sprints. You can push hard, give everything you've got, and the finish line is right there within a 2-week period. But the Groundhog Day Perfect Storm is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Where we get into burnout is that we do not stop to ask ourselves if the situation we are experiencing is a Perfect Storm week (i.e., a sprint) or if we are in a Groundhog Day Perfect Storm period (i.e., a marathon). We don't stop and ask the question, we just assume it's a sprint, because that's what we are used to dealing with. And we know how to overcome sprints. We can't assume. So today’s homework is this, where are you right now?  Are you in a Perfect Storm, a Groundhog Day Perfect Storm, or are you in a good flow of work and life? Are you living in burnout, on the edge, or feeling good? You’re in one of 3 places.  So be honest with yourself.   If you want to talk through it and identify where you are, send an email to info@legendleaders.com and let us help you. Be Legendary!

It’s the end of August.  We are approaching Labor Day weekend.  Maybe some cooler weather is on the horizon.  Who knows, right?  But what we do know is that we have spent this entire month focused on adding value. We know that adding maximum value in our executive roles ensures we are assets to the organization and assets are very valuable to the organization itself. We want to add value to be valuable! What’s the fastest way to add value?  Answer: Understand what the organization values and do that. But what if you can’t do that? What if the company says it wants one thing but actually rewards another? What if you fully believe you are adding value per company expectations but you’re not being rewarded or recognized for it? What if there is a breakdown between what the company is asking of you vs. what is being rewarded? This is a hard place to be.  It’s the, “what am I doing wrong” place. The unfortunate reality is that sometimes this happens. It occurs due to one of two reasons: 1. We aren't performing like we think we are. Sometimes we have blindspots that prevent us from seeing the truth.  Sometimes we need someone to guide us in order to get the clarity we need so that we can add value. 2. What the company says it values and what it is rewarding are two different things. I can sit here and tell you to look at the 3 guiding documents to help you get clear on what the company values. But if you know you're delivering on those aspects of your role and yet your performance reviews, your annual bonus, etc. do not correlate with that effort and result, there is a gap. The solution for this is the same as the solution for #1, you have to get some help. Sometimes we need someone to help us, guide us, and show us the way. You must learn to steal shamelessly to succeed. How? Stealing shamelessly means you find a mentor, you find someone who has done what you want to do and can thoroughly teach you how to do it. Whether it's eliminating blindspots or deciphering what the company truly values, a mentor can help you. A mentor can be someone inside of your organization or outside of it.  The key is to find someone to guide you! If you want outside support, know that we are here to do exactly that.  We have a program here at Legend Leaders 100% designed to help you add value to the organization in 60 days.   We have small group cohorts launching monthly and we offer 1:1 coaching if you don’t like to be in a group.   Connect with me and let’s get you adding maximum value! Be Legendary!

Have you been adding value this month? Did you do the work last week (rating yourself and getting feedback)? If not, definitely go do that. Today's episode builds on last week's work. Because today, we will be getting down to business and ensuring that when you're "working," you are doing the functions and actions that add the most value. So let’s roll up our sleeves and do it. Last week we identified how we are performing as it relates to the actions the company values.   This week we are going to take those lists of activities the company is asking us to do and we are going to compare that list to our calendar. Now, if you remember the work from week 2, week 2 we simply looked at the calendar and said, "What am I putting on the calendar that makes me feel valuable but isn't actually adding value?" In that exercise, we should have eliminated the emotional, "feel better" work that we had been spending time on. Today we will be looking at everything on the calendar, even special projects, volunteer work for the company, etc., and asking if each action is time well spent. Grab your calendar.  Look at each function or activity the company is asking of you.  Then find each of those items on the calendar. Are you spending time on those functions? If not, add them to your calendar. Once you have everything on your calendar that the company is asking you to execute, ask yourself what you can remove from your calendar. What must you add to your calendar or spend more time on that your company values and what must you remove such that you have the time to focus on the right value-add activities? Note, I'm not saying you remove family events or self-care activities, etc. I'm talking about work functions on your calendar that simply don't need to be there anymore. This is how you double down on your efforts and add maximum value.   If it’s on your calendar, it’s done.  So ensure your calendar is a reflection of where you must spend your time. If you want another set of eyes, schedule some time with me, and let’s look at it together. Be Legendary!

We must add value if we are going to be valuable to the organization. Think about it for a second.  How many people actually know that adding value is the secret to success?  How many people, if they would just add value instead of living in fear as we talked about last week, would have an amazing career? Adding value is the space where you must live if you want to create executive success and that's why we are diving into this topic this entire month. Are you ready for today's topic? Today we are talking about how you can truly identify your contributions. If you think you're adding value, how do you know for certain? Let's walk away this week knowing for certain the level of value we are adding to the organization. If you look at the 3 components of how your organization defines value, your job description, performance metrics, and bonus targets, how are you doing? It’s self-assessment time. I asked you in the first episode to define if you are raising the bar on your current performance or if you are starting from zero. Today we are going to get abundantly clear on this. You’re going to do the two actions I am constantly pushing you to do: You’re going to look at the 3 components the organization provided to you and you’re going to rate yourself.  On a scale of 1 -10, how are you doing on each of the 3? Don’t give yourself a score to feel better about yourself or to give yourself a hard time.  Be honest. Once you do your self-assessment, you're going to ask others for feedback.  a. Ask someone you trust who will give you the honest truth to tell you how you’re performing on each of the 3 components.  If they rate you higher, know that you’re hard on yourself and it’s a raise-the-bar moment for you.  If they rated you lower than you rated yourself, chances are you are starting from zero and you need to reset your focus and priorities.  Once you have done these two activities you will know with full clarity how you are performing. Are you adding value or keeping yourself safe? Could you be doing more or are you doing too much? Do the work this week.  Reach out and let’s chat through it if you need some support. Be Legendary!

The month of August is all about adding value and mastering this critical, yet simple, concept.  The reality is that adding value is the driver of executive success. If we want to have success, then we must add value. It's cause and effect. If we understand that relationship, then what prevents someone from creating success? Fear. Fear is the most common reason why leaders do not add value in their executive roles and therefore why they do not succeed. Now I get it, you’re probably saying, Katrina, if we are meant to add value as a means of not only being successful, but minimally, maintaining our position in the organization, why would someone NOT add value? It’s sort of like saying, why don’t people save their marriages? Why don’t people save money? Why don’t people make good decisions? It’s not because they intentionally decide they don't want to do these things, it’s because their desires and their actions aren't aligned.   Someone must take the right actions if they want to have career success, a successful marriage, money in the bank, etc. The primary driver preventing these actions from occurring is fear. Where does the fear come from? As a first-year exec, fear comes from the step growth curve you must navigate in order to perform in the role combined with needing to generate results and an uncertainty of how to do that. Does that make sense? It's hard to feel like you must learn how to be successful and do it quickly before you tank your career. Combine this with the fact that most new execs are so used to generating results quickly and almost effortlessly that the inability to do that in the executive role has them thrown for a loop. This situation is ripe with fear. In any new role, we need security. We need to feel like we are safe to grow and learn and we need to feel like we are still making a difference while we're doing it. How do the majority of first-year execs do that? They fall back on what they know. Fear drives them into performing tasks and displaying behaviors that may have served them well prior to the exec role, but will not add value in their current environment. Yet there is this rationalization that if "I keep doing what I have always done while I’m learning what to do next, the company will appreciate it and I will be safe." Is that the case? What the organization values vs. what makes you feel valuable are two different aspects. No matter the situation, we must always go with what the organization values if we are going to be successful in our roles. This week I’m challenging you to do another gut check.  Look at the actions you are taking.  Are they valuable to the organization, do they make you feel valuable, or both? If you want to talk through it and validate some of your actions, schedule some time on my calendar, and let’s do a quick assessment together. Be Legendary!

Let's kick off the first episode in this mini-series focused on adding value as a female exec. I say it in a thousand ways, but ultimately, at Legend Leaders, we help you create the professional success you desire so that you can have the personal freedom you deserve, right? But how do we help you achieve this? How do you achieve professional success?  Here is the answer in a nutshell: add value on a daily basis. It's what we call The 1 Rule here at Legend Leaders. The 1 Rule of business success is that you must add daily value. When you do that, you become an irreplaceable asset in the marketplace.   So this month we are going to dive into the topic of adding value, executing The 1 Rule, and becoming that irreplaceable asset.   It’s the ultimate pathway to creating career success and therefore personal freedom.   Ready for the first truth? If you’re not focused on adding value, you’re not creating success.  You’re simply delaying success. How do you know if you're actually adding value or not? To answer that we must understand who defines value. The person who defines "value" is the customer. As an employee, your customer is your company. The company defines what it values. This is critically important. We can say the company is wrong, we can say that we should define value, we can argue it all day, but it doesn't change the reality that the company you work for is your customer and therefore you must add value as defined by the organization. So if you align with that concept, then you must seek to understand the definition of "value" as defined by your company. How do you get this information? Through your job description, your evaluation criteria, and your bonus metrics. Those 3 resources are how the company provides you with the answers to the "success test" as I call it. If you deliver to those 3 areas of your role, you’re adding value in the eyes of the organization. So my question for you is, are you adding value based on your company’s definition? Take the time this week to find out. If you’re uncertain, if you want to add value but don’t know how, etc. then hit this link and schedule a call so we can talk through it.   Be Legendary!

It’s the last episode in the series and I think it's the best episode because we are going to bring everything together and we are going to outline how you can drive change and have an impact in your role today. As we have already discussed, owning your seat is a must as an exec. This ownership is how you add value to the company and adding value is why you exist in the organization. Now, we know that fear is powerful and that fear can hold us back from owning our seats, driving change, and having an impact. The key is to push past the fear. How do you do that?  By drawing upon the years of experience that got you into the role and using that knowledge when you speak up. Share insights, ideas, perspectives, cautions, anything and everything that will help the company and the customer.   Remember, add value.  Remember, growth and value happen concurrently not sequentially.  So add value and grow into your role at the same time. Let’s take it one step further.  As a new exec, the second major component of owning your seat (in addition to using your voice) is reading the room and the cues. You must know who is in the room, how they are feeling, what they are thinking, and learn their tells.   Remember how we talked about patterns last week?  You must observe and note the patterns of your role model so you can mimic their behaviors and grow into using your voice, right? You must not stop there.  Make notes about the key players in your meetings.  Learn their expressions, body language, keywords, etc.  This isn’t to manipulate, this is to simply prepare you to be a top-notch negotiator as you continue to grow into using your voice and owning your seat. Get the workbook to help you make notes of your colleagues as a means of driving change in a meeting. If you are ready to have some support in getting executive performance results in 60 days, join the next cohort. Be Legendary!

Last week we agreed that the best way to own our seat at the executive table is to use our voice. So if we know this, why don't we do it? Answer: We are afraid we are going to screw up and damage our reputations or brands. So then let's spend today talking through the best way to overcome that fear, create a process to prevent that damage, and then take action. Let's define success when it comes to owning your seat at the table. How do you know when you successfully own your seat by using your voice and adding value?  What does good look like? There are two ways to know: Look to a key leader who has the respect and appreciation of the room.  How is he/she adding value by using his/her voice?   Observe them.  Listen to how they interject, how they provide feedback or suggestions, etc.  Make a note of what they do well, behaviors and actions you would like to adopt because they fit your leadership style, etc.  Steal shamelessly. 2. Get feedback.  Ask your supervisor or peer how you’re doing.  If you speak up, ask how it landed in the room.  If you didn’t speak up, ask if that was the right action to take at that moment. In other words, learn from someone else’s patterns as well as your own.  Find a role model and model them.  Then look in the mirror and identify the behaviors that you want to keep and those you wish to eliminate. This can take some time as you are waiting to observe and model someone you may not interact with on a regular basis.  Don’t get discouraged.  Give yourself some grace and recognize that you can work with someone outside of your organization to speed up your growth curve. Show up and use your voice like you already know how to do.  Perfect that behavior and performance by modeling and adjusting. Get the workbook to help you take action on today's topic. If you want to learn the strategies now instead of waiting to observe and model, join the next cohort of our 60-day executive performance program. Be Legendary!