EP249: Your Leadership Roadmap - From Insight to Action
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(The notes below are only a brief bullet point summary of what is discussed in the podcast. Be sure to listen to get all of the goodness! If you would like a full transcription of the episode, please send an email to angie@angie-robinson.com.)
Over the last three episodes of the Leadership Magic Podcast, I've been talking about the shift from individual contributor to leader. Honestly, it applies to any change that reshapes who we are, whether that's a new job, becoming a parent, or losing someone. Our identity changes.
We started with the shift itself: moving from doer to leader. Then we looked at the foundation, knowing how you lead and what you bring to the table. Last week, we got clear on the vision, who you're becoming and the gaps between the current you and that future version.
When you go through this kind of examination, you discover a lot of insight. That's helpful. But nothing actually changes until you take action with it. I love this quote from Mike Dooley: "Action is belief in motion." Even when we uncover limiting beliefs or start to reframe our thinking, we still have to act on it.
Two kinds of gaps
There are a few types of gaps that come up in this work: skill gaps, mindset gaps, and confidence gaps. Mindset and confidence tend to go hand in hand, so I'll focus on two.
Skill gaps close with practice and the right tools and frameworks.
Mindset gaps (you could also call them thought gaps or belief gaps) decide whether you'll use the tool at all.
That deeper layer is where the true magic is, in my opinion. Organizations talk a lot about elevating skills and closing skill gaps, and of course we need to do that. But often the reason a skill doesn't stick, isn't maintained, or never reaches real competency is that nobody addressed the thought gap underneath it.
That's why I make mindset part of the roadmap when I work with leaders. We want to know how to get from A to B and what goes in the toolbox. We also go beyond the operational and include the belief work. Every person's roadmap will look different, because every person's gaps are different.
Why individual work matters
I facilitate group workshops all the time, and I have for years. Hearing the same message and learning the same tools is necessary, and I love it. There are some common skill gaps newer leaders share, and group learning is great for those.
Mindset gaps are different. They live in your own head, and everyone's are different. Uncovering them is work you have to do as an individual.
It takes time. I do this work on my own brain and with my coaching clients, and often we'll start working on one belief only to discover something deeper underneath it. Be patient with yourself. This is not a checkbox item. But investing in yourself this way makes a huge difference.
What the gaps can look like
Here are some examples from each phase of the series. They're examples only, so as you read, notice what comes up for you.
The Shift: understanding the identity change
This phase asks what's actually changing, what you need to let go of, and what you need to lean into.
Skill gap: delegating. You've been doing the work all along, so handing it off may not be something you've learned yet. You might take work back at the first sign of trouble instead of coaching through it.
Skill gap: giving feedback. You may now be giving feedback to people who used to be your peers.
Mindset gaps: "It's just faster if I do it myself." "If I delegate, I'm not pulling my weight." "If I give feedback to my former peers, they won't respect me anymore."
You can learn how to delegate. You can have the best feedback framework and worksheet. But if you're thinking, "They won't respect me," how willing will you be to give that feedback instead of avoiding it?
The Foundation: understanding yourself
This phase is about your character, your strengths, your areas of opportunity, and your blind spots.
Skill gap: understanding other people's preferences. The trap is leading everyone the way you want to be led.
Skill gap: noticing when a strength is overused. If you're decisive, that can be so good. Overused, it can come across as steamrolling or a lack of care. The skill is knowing when to dial it back, or dial something else up, like empathy.
Mindset gaps: "My style is just my style." "If I show empathy, I'll look weak." "Maybe I'm just not the leader type." If you have a preference for introversion and learned along the way that only extroverts make good leaders, that belief won't get you very far.
The Vision: who you're becoming
This phase paints the picture of you as a leader a year from now: how you show up, what people say about you, and what you think about yourself.
Skill gap: setting direction. Maybe you're great at managing the work, but not yet at setting and communicating the vision.
Skill gap: presenting. Maybe a year from now you want to present to the executive team, and you haven't done much presenting yet.
Mindset gaps: "Maybe I'm just not right for this job." "I'll try it when I'm more confident."
Choose your priorities
Once you know your gaps, pick two or three priorities. You might have a list of ten. Don't pick ten. Focus is what makes something stick.
If you're not sure where to start, use this filter:
What would matter most to my team right now?
What moves me toward my vision?
What am I willing and ready to work on right now?
You might simply choose one skill gap and one mindset gap, and go from there.
Choose your tools
For skill gaps: If the skill is delegation, build a delegation checklist. If it's feedback, use a structure that helps you prepare what you'll say, hit every point, and deliver it in a way that's effective.
For mindset gaps:
Journaling. A brain dump gets the thoughts out where you can see them.
The model. I first explained it back in Episode 10. It shows how your current thoughts create your results. There's a circumstance, something neutral that everyone would agree is true. You have a thought about it. That thought creates a feeling, the feeling drives your actions or inactions, and those create your results. Running a mindset gap through the model helps you challenge the thought and practice believing something different. It's not a five-minute fix, but it's a powerful tool.
An evidence file. If the thought is "I'm just not a good leader," your brain will find all the evidence that it's true. Your job is to look for evidence of the opposite and write it down. When someone sends you a thank-you email, print it and put it in an actual file.
Take action
There are lots of tools for both kinds of gaps, but you have to take action. That's the key. Practice, even if you stumble. Even if you call something a failure, that's where you learn. Stretching outside your comfort zone is where the true magic is.
What Do You Think?
What is one skill gap and one mindset gap you're going to work on?
Links
The Leadership Shift Interest Call
Discover Your Personality Style Quiz [download]
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