Leadership – A musing Mulcahy

When in doubt (or actually in a hole) stop digging

How often have you gone one step further down a path only to wish you had stopped earlier and checked what you were doing or where you were going? Not made that one additional cut that ruined the carving? Did not strike the additional hammer blow that revealed the impediment behind the drywall was a water pipe? Didn’t speak the one extra word or make the comment that turned a dispute into a full-blown argument?

Sometimes, our motivation to “just get things done” can cause us to make poor decisions. We overrule the voice in our heads that says, “Hold up a sec. Is this what we should be doing right now?” That voice is often the sound of our subconscious, which may have spotted warning signs that our conscious mind is either unaware of or has dismissed. We can save ourselves some unnecessary grief if we pause for a minute and ask – “Why am I feeling doubt about this?”

It might be time to make a change

We learn a lot about change as we age. We’re told change is a constant, which seems like both an oxymoron and a truism. We are told that persistent change is difficult, particularly regarding habitual behaviours. The fact is, we are all in a constant state of change whether we acknowledge it to ourselves or not.

A few people have asked me recently, “When do I know it’s time to make a change?” In this post, I propose some criteria that I hope you will find relevant.

Stress and the Goldilocks Effect

We are in an age where stress and stress management are frequently discussed and often without context. Stress is a complex topic, and I’d like to cover some of it in this blog post. The key question for this post is how do we know when our stress levels are “just right”?

Be intentional to be fulfilled.

What a challenging, enjoyable, wonderful time to be alive. Distractions constantly bombard us. We are living through a global pandemic, a European war, and economic uncertainty and have a constant overload of technology, social media, and the daily grind. It is so easy for us to be reactive always – to drift from one thing to another. In my experience, and in that of my coachees, this can lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction, of being out of control. So what can we do to address this? We can be intentional in our actions, thoughts and decisions.

Care enough to be constant

Life is a peculiar mix of the constant and inconstant. Our days are filled with variability, and yet, some things seem to remain the same. Our life span is such that the pace of change of certain things seems almost immeasurable. Despite this, as constant as certain things seem, deep down, we know nothing lasts forever.

Advocating for yourself

I am working with several coachees at the moment, and one area that is a common focus, particularly for women, is self-advocacy. This topic can be problematic for people, especially those of us who prefer our work to speak for itself. When is it appropriate to make our needs, wants and accomplishments known, and what is the best way to do it?

Why managers must enable thinking

Our lives at home and work are full of distracting noise. We surround ourselves with activities and gadgets that actively discourage thinking. This lack of space for thought is often compounded by an unrelenting series of tasks and meetings in a work environment. As I continue to work on my management skills, one area of focus that has echoed for years in my brain is the need to help others develop insights from their experience. I firmly believe that this should be a primary focus for all managers. So how do we do this?