Lisa Virtue [00:00:01]:

Welcome to the Heartset Leadership Podcast. My name is Lisa Virtue. I'm your executive leadership coach and podcast host. Today, instead of talking to a guest about things that you could try and start doing, we're gonna do a bit of a reflection to help you see where you're doing things right, 'cause most likely you are showing up with heart more than you even realize. As leaders, we're often focused on what's next. What problem do we need to solve? What could we have handled better? When constantly working on your leadership soft skills, getting 360 feedback reviews, and talking about what you need to do better, it can often make it really difficult to reflect on what's going well. So why is it important to recognize what we're actually doing well? There's some interesting science behind why we should. Research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that intentionally reflecting on our experiences can contribute to leadership development.

Lisa Virtue [00:00:54]:

Another study published in the Academy of Management Journal found that taking just a little time to reflect on positive experiences at work can help reduce stress. So if you're feeling burnt out or stressed out as a leader, taking this time to reflect on what's going well and what you've been doing well as a leader will help with that stress and burnout and will help you show up as a better leader. There's also the concept of self-efficacy, which is really about believing in our ability to handle challenges. Psychologist Albert Bandura's work reminds us that one of the ways we develop that confidence is through experiences of success. So today, instead of giving you another list of things you should be doing as a leader, I wanna help you recognize what you're already doing well, why it matters, and how you can build on it. We're going to explore the 5 elements of my Heartset Leadership Framework, and I'm going to invite you to reflect on real moments from your own leadership experience. So at the end, you can walk away recognizing at least one strength you may have been overlooking. And one small way to build on it.

Lisa Virtue [00:01:57]:

Keep doing the good things you're doing. Because becoming a better leader isn't always about fixing what's wrong. Sometimes it's about understanding what's already working. Let's begin. This is the Heartset Leadership Podcast. We're here on the beat of modern leadership to help you crush your goals without crushing your soul or your teams. So today, as we talk about what's going well, let's start with the H. This is be human in the Heartset Leadership Framework.

Lisa Virtue [00:02:28]:

It's understanding your strengths, your own triggers, and what you bring to the table as a leader. What are those skill sets? What are your mindsets? How do you show up? Now, as a leader, I am sure you feel pressured to always have the answers, to remain composed, turn your charisma on. And project confidence even when you're uncertain or overwhelmed. That can be exhausting and lead to burnout. Being human doesn't mean abandoning this professionalism or your accountability as a leader. We all bring our values, emotions, experiences, strengths, and imperfections to work. Your self-awareness into your humanity helps you recognize how these things influence your decisions and your interactions. The goal is not to be perfect.

Lisa Virtue [00:03:15]:

It's to recognize who you are and how you're showing up. So here's your prompt. Take a minute to think about one time this past week when you allowed yourself to be human at work. Maybe you acknowledged that you didn't have an answer. You admitted a mistake. You asked for help. Or you recognized that you needed a moment before responding. And you took that moment.

Lisa Virtue [00:03:40]:

What did that experience in that moment make possible for you or someone else? I'll pause here to let you ruminate on this and think about a specific example. What's popping in your head right now? As you think about this and what you did well in this moment, allowing yourself to be human, allowing your authenticity to shine. And your vulnerability to come through, where did it strengthen a relationship or the work that was being done? As you go into this next week, continue noticing just one situation where your values or self-awareness helped guide your response. How did being human help you connect with the other humans that you're leading? Let's move on to the next pillar in the Heartset Leadership Framework, and that is E for Elevate. With so much to accomplish all the time, you can become focused on tasks, deadlines, results, meeting after meeting, rather than developing the people around you or championing them. It's about what you help others accomplish and how you elevate them. Elevating others can mean recognizing strengths, encouraging ideas, sharing opportunities, or demonstrating confidence in someone's abilities. It can also be speaking positively about them or advocating for them, even when they're not in the room.

Lisa Virtue [00:05:12]:

How are you pulling others up? Sometimes the most meaningful thing a leader does is help someone see what they're capable of. And when we elevate others, we don't have to carry everything ourselves, which is the whole point of being a leader, right? It takes a team. It takes a village to accomplish these goals. So think of one person you helped succeed in this past week or month. Maybe you recognized their contribution publicly, encouraged them to take on a challenge, asked for their perspective, and showed them that you cared about their opinion, or you gave them room to figure out something about themselves. This could also be a time where you provided a recommendation for them to get a promotion. Or get a new job if they're no longer on your team. It also could be a time where you were talking about your team members to other leaders and you advocated for the skill and the talent that is on your team.

Lisa Virtue [00:06:06]:

How about elevating others cross-functionally? Was there someone that you gave kudos to, to their leader, someone who supported you cross-functionally? Who was that person? Think about them. Hold them in your mind. Think about that example. How might that interaction have influenced their confidence or their sense of ownership? As you move forward, thinking about the elevating others as part of your leadership skills, continue to give people specific recognition for contribution or strength that you notice. There might be someone popping into your head right now as you're reflecting on what you've been doing well. Thinking, now I should go tell this person something I really appreciate about them. Taking the time out of your day to do that will always be worth it. Now let's move on to A.

Lisa Virtue [00:07:00]:

Now, this is a pendulum, right? Taking action. You can get stuck between needing to make decisions quickly and worrying about making the wrong ones. So there's speed and appropriateness of your actions. Are you moving too fast? Are people able to follow? Or are you moving too slow and overthinking? But today we're reflecting on the positive. Because leadership requires action, sometimes we're tempted to wait until we have more information, greater certainty, or everyone's in agreement. When you're intentional about action, it means you understand what matters. You make thoughtful decisions and you take responsibility for moving forward. So think about an action that you took that That felt like it was the right cadence and speed for who you were taking the action for and with? When did all the stars align and it felt like it was the right timing? Think back the last time that this happened.

Lisa Virtue [00:07:53]:

Even if it felt uncomfortable, was it what the team needed? Maybe you set a boundary, you addressed a problem, you delegated something, or you made a decision without having every piece of information, every I dotted. You just moved forward because that's what the team needed. What was it that helped move you forward? Continue to reflect on the positive, and this will help you see going forward what kind of cadence the team needs and your organization needs. And heck, what do you need? All right, let's move on to R, relate. Now, the pain point in this pillar is that you can feel disconnected from your team. Maybe you've recently been promoted, you took on new team members. You might have new team members you've even hired and you're not really in that trust phase with them yet. When communication becomes transactional or difficult conversations are avoided, this is really when it becomes difficult to relate to others and build those interpersonal relationships, isn't it? And we know relationships are central to getting things done through people.

Lisa Virtue [00:08:56]:

So building trust through everyday interactions, not just formal team building activities, is what I want you to think about here. Think about a conversation you had this past week when you really listened to someone and they felt listened to. Maybe you asked a question instead of jumping in with advice, made time for someone who needed support, or you took the time to understand a different perspective. It might've been that you played devil's advocate or you helped a conflict get worked through. One-on-one, interpersonally, with your team members, your manager, or cross-functionally? What did you learn about that person through their experience and through that relationship building? You're probably doing this all day long, every day, but think of one moment where it was super critical or super meaningful to you. And maybe someone gave you feedback that they really appreciated your time. Did you brush right past that feedback? These are moments where you're showing up with heart as a leader. So thank yourself.

Lisa Virtue [00:10:00]:

Think about you doing this really well. The last pillar within the Heartset Leadership Framework is for the T in HEART, which is to be transparent. The pain point here is that we are often navigating uncertainty while we're trying to maintain trust and confidence. Especially when you can't share everything you know. It's the worst, isn't it? Confidential information, holding back because someone asks you to keep it confidential, or legally you can't share all the information. Transparency doesn't mean sharing every detail or having an answer for everything, but it is about being clear, honest, and consistent in what you communicate. So even when information may be limited, you can explain what you know, what you don't know. And what is going to happen next? These small moments of honesty and clarity can reduce confusion and help people feel respected.

Lisa Virtue [00:10:55]:

So think of a moment this past week or month when you helped someone gain clarity. Maybe you explained the reason behind a decision, or you communicated an expectation. You shared an update. You might have simply acknowledged the uncertainty and that you weren't able to share, or you didn't have all the detail. How did that clarity change the conversation or help someone get unblocked and move forward in their work? Think about that. Think about that moment when they gave you data and feedback back that you helped with transparency. And as you move forward, remember that moment so that you can continue drawing on those strengths. Look for opportunities to explain the why behind a decision or expectation.

Lisa Virtue [00:11:38]:

All right. We just ran through 5 moments. Where you did really well as a leader. 5 different pillars. H, being human, being vulnerable. When did you show up as yourself? Doesn't even have to be your best self. E is elevating others. How did you elevate someone else? A was taking action.

Lisa Virtue [00:11:57]:

When did you take action at a cadence that was right and appropriate and helpful? R is to relate. Those interpersonal conversations, communication. Dialogue, relationship building. When did you take the time to really get to know someone? And T, be transparent. How were you transparent in a way that was really helpful? Not too much information, but just the right amount to help unblock someone and let them move forward. Or people, it could have been the whole team that you helped with transparency. Now this is your heartset in action. Most leadership moments don't fit neatly into one of these categories.

Lisa Virtue [00:12:38]:

You might've thought of one moment that spanned multiple or all of these categories. When you listen with that curiosity and you're relating to others, you're also elevating someone. When you acknowledge a mistake that you made, you're being human, but you're also being transparent. When you make a thoughtful decision aligned with your values, you're being human. And you're taking action. So it's not about mastering 5 separate leadership skills. It's about recognizing how they work together. So think back to a leadership moment I asked you to remember during one of those pillars, which parts of Heartset were showing up in that moment? Were there more than one? Whatever example you're thinking of right now, really hone in on it.

Lisa Virtue [00:13:21]:

Analyze it from a positive perspective. What were you doing really well? Is there something you did naturally that you haven't given yourself enough credit for? And now think about which part of Heartset you would like to bring a little more intention to next week. Not because you're not doing well at it, but because strengthening it can make your leadership a little easier and more effective. Continue to reflect on the positive in addition to looking at where there might be gaps or places you wanna lean in, because you don't need to reinvent yourself to become a better leader. You're in the room for a reason. Sometimes you simply need to recognize what's already working and just build from there. All right. I'm looking forward to seeing you go out there and crush your goals.

Lisa Virtue [00:14:01]:

Keep your soul and keep the souls of those team members that you're leading. Leading people can be rewarding, complicated, and sometimes exhausting. You care deeply about results and still care about the people delivering them. So you can't help yourself. You can continue growing as a leader without treating yourself as a constant improvement project. You are not beat up. You are not run down. You have so many strengths to build on.

Lisa Virtue [00:14:30]:

This leadership development shouldn't feel like another impossible expectation you have to add to your plate. Small reflections. So join me each week on the Heartset Leadership Podcast to know that you're not alone, to reflect on what you're doing well, and to lean in where you wanna make improvement. Small steps make the most difference, don't they? Being that tortoise and not the hare. Here's my invitation to you this week. Choose just one part of Heartset that stood out to you today. Just one. Grab it, think about it, maybe even jot it down.

Lisa Virtue [00:15:03]:

Pay attention to where it shows up in your leadership and look for one small opportunity to practice it intentionally. Now, if one of these areas sparked your curiosity, I encourage you to explore another episode of the podcast. We've had some wonderful conversations with leaders about the real messy human side of leadership with practical stories and application. And you might find exactly the perspective or practical idea you need right now. And always, if you'd like to go a little deeper into how you're showing up as a leader, I'd love to have a conversation with you. Maybe you have a professional development budget that you haven't spent yet this year, and you're trying to figure out how to do that before the year ends. Reach out. You can find a link in the show notes on how to connect with me.

Lisa Virtue [00:15:47]:

No big commitment, just an opportunity to explore what's happening in your leadership and what might help. I'm happy to have that conversation always. Now remember, you can crush your goals and keep your soul. Until next time, keep leading with heart. Thank you so much for joining today's conversation. Before you go, don't forget to hit that subscribe button and to leave us a 5-star review in support. If you would like to take this conversation further and continue strengthening your leadership heartset, check out heartsetstudio.com and subscribe to our Heartwire newsletter. Heartset Studio is also available to connect on your leadership development goals and initiatives for you and the other leaders in your organization.

Lisa Virtue [00:16:24]:

Contact us today through the website.

Speaker B [00:16:27]:

And most importantly, thank you so much for all you do for the other humans in your life. We know that you show up with heart time and again, And it is most appreciated.