As a leader you are called to paint a picture of the future for those who have entrusted themselves to your care. You are called to help others see and encourage others to act on and be a part of that change.
One of the challenges of being a leader is distinguishing between what you are called to do and what others are called to do. In other words, the question you and I need to repeatedly ask ourselves is:
“Is this mine to do?”
I cannot tell you how much sleep I’ve lost because I was turning situations over in my head again and again. “Why didn’t Sally do x?” “What was Bob thinking to cause him to say that?”
The reason this can be difficult to ask is because there are aspects of our leadership that need to be tended to if no one is moving closer toward the shared vision. We need to consider our forms of communication…our way of caring for others…our habits and style. There will always be adjustments that need to be made. Whether it be the changing culture (and the various media and distractions it presents) or a constantly changing environment (new employees and volunteers that need to learn and understand the shared vision), we need to keep asking ourselves how we can serve those we love who have entrusted themselves to our service.
BUT…as a leader, you are probably a person who gets things done. You probably don’t sit around waiting for the other person to move. You probably initiate…constantly. And that can be tiring. I know!
But not everything that needs to be done is yours to do. In fact, it is not fair to swoop in and fix things. It is actually a better form of leadership that allows people to space and ownership to see that their idea needs to be more than an idea. You see, there is no lack of ideas. Now whether they are all good or not isn’t even a question. There will always be some good and some bad ideas. The key, though, in leadership is helping people think through those ideas…and then act on them.
You cannot change people. You cannot and must not do other people’s job. You can only do the work of showing up and serving what is yours to do today.
The sooner you ask this question “Is this mine to do?” the healthier and happier you will be.