The Dynamic Leader by Shelley Flett
As Assistant’s and Support’s we rarely describe ourselves as Leader’s but our roles require us to have all the competencies of a Leader – stakeholder management, time management, the ability to motivate and encourage performance, communication skills of a press secretary, master level diplomacy, prioritisation and focus and the ability to deliver on business objectives. So then why was I hiding the book cover while reading it on Public Transport? When reading through Shelley’s chapter on the ‘Unspoken Problems’ of all leaders it struck me; as leaders in family, business & friendship we all struggle with the same question ‘Am I worthy?’
In our roles, we get so used to putting someone else’s goals, habits and often life FIRST – at the end of the day we are there to support, right? Stop! That’s where we are going wrong. If we can motivate, problem solve, conflict resolve and communicate the strategies of the business effectively aren’t we ultimately crossing tasks off our executives list before they even get a chance to scribe them on there?
This book will empower you to rethink the way you work through blindingly simple diagrams like the urgent/important matrix – which you will definitely scan and pin to your wall. It will make you rethink the way you interact with colleagues and those you mentor by forcing you to change your mindset from being the consistent do-er to become more of a delegator and collaborator, I’ll be honest as a perfectionist (MAYBE a control freak) this scared me, but these simple tips have liberated me. It made me identify and question my core values and review how these affect my habits and communication styles and it will give you the control to reshape how you are perceived in your workplace as a result.
So get yourself a dust cover for the book (in the short term), start reading it, start living it and I guarantee part way through you will pull off that cover and stop questioning your worthiness, your colleagues will start seeing a positive shift in your behaviours and your relationships will flourish. The only negative – you might start to recognise that your executive needs to read the book too. Christmas gift sorted already? You’re too organised!
 BOOK REVIEWERClaire Mulgrew is an Operations Manager at Time & Place Property. |
