Three ways to be ready to lead:

#1. Ready to say YES:

Consistent results require stable environments. ‘No’ protects the status quo; ‘Yes’ disrupts.

If you aren’t careful, ‘no’ becomes your default response to input and ideas. If you frequently say ‘no’, people choose sleepwalking over engagement.

5 ways to lean toward YES:

Be ready with a first response that leans toward ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’.

1. How can you give that a try?
2. What are you trying to accomplish? Instead of simply saying ‘no’, explore goals.
3. What do you need to make this happen?
4. What needs to be true for you to take this idea forward?
5. Who is impacted if you move this idea forward?

You tell people their ideas matter when you lean toward ‘yes’.

Tip: Use caution when ideas impact others more than the idea giver. It’s easy to know what others should do.

#2. Ready to finish stuff:

Starting things is a distraction when you aren’t committed to finish stuff.

You end up overworked and stressed out when you habitually add to your bucket without taking something out.

Manageable time pressure increases concentration. Running from one thing to the next invites frustration, mediocrity, and cutting corners.

 If you’re a leader who loves to start things, finish something old before you start something new.

#3. Ready to learn:

Learners go further than knowers.

You can be ready to say ‘yes’ and ready to finish stuff, but you’ll crash and burn if you aren’t ready to learn.

1. Show up asking, “What can I learn?”
2. Stay open to learning from unexpected people.
3. Ask, “What am I missing?”
4. Record learnings.

What does it mean for leaders to show up READY?