Great leaders develop their skills on the job.
While the leadership journey may look different from person to person, there are some basic needs for the skills that can make all leaders successful in their careers. Specifically, good leaders understand the need for consistency and balance.
In a recent episode of The Cure with Scotty and Sully, Brian Sullivan and Scott Adams spoke to Maria Barditch, the National Vice President of Sales for Cardinal Health at-Home, a market-leading home medical supply provider serving over 4 million customers. They discuss her advice for people looking to move into a leadership role and how to find and maintain a work-life balance.
Advice for leadership
Great leaders understand that their time and energy is best spent wherever they are currently serving. Effective leaders know that they need to be good at what they’re doing now in order to be great at what they want to do in the future.
Barditch said, “People ask me that question often, what do I have to do to get that other job? My first response is, you’ve got to be great at the one you’re in. Knock it out of the park in whatever your current responsibility you have, whether you love it or not. Be great at that.”
Planting your feet in your current position is one of the best things that you can do for yourself, your team, and your organization. Create a village of people around you that can trust you to do your job well; while also giving you the feedback you need to grow and develop into the person that best fits that next role.
Finding and maintaining a work-life balance
Striking the balance between your busy work schedule and your busy life schedule is never easy, and will need revising as your life changes. For example, when you start to have kids and build a family, your balance needs are going to look much different than they did before. This is a fluid process, so it’s important to give it the space to breathe.
Barditch said that she’s boiled it down to two consistent parts – be where your feet are at and find your bookends. Balance is all about being present in the moment: if you’re at work, be at work. If you’re at home, you need to be present at home. “Where am I standing? Who needs my attention and who is getting it?”
Bookends are consistent ways that you are starting and finishing your days. Find a way that you’d like to start and finish your day so that you can draw a line and set a boundary. She said, “We’re always talking about showing up as the best version of yourself, but guess what? After hours, the folks that you interact with need the best version of yourself as well. Be in tune with what you need in your time off.”
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