VIM Executive Coaching understands that the stressors of executive leadership are not necessarily reduced to a few happy comments and a “song and dance.” Leaders can face massive challenges, and no single podcast, book, happy video or social media post is going to immediately change the sad-face emoji into the smiling emoji complete with tears. With apologies to many fine motivational speakers and lecturers, long-term executive leader challenges.
There often are no easy answers, there are no trite expressions or magical signs and there frequently are periods where we must draw upon our strengths and personal resources to overcome the challenges in our midst.
On the other hand
Executive leaders, no matter their organizations or professions should not confuse feelings of being overwhelmed with a sense of being overrun they are two, quite different concepts.
Being overrun is a tragic thought, and in life, may be a tragic outcome. For example, some physicians during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were overrun with an onslaught of extremely ill patients. There were no vaccines or anti-viral medications; facilities were substandard and could not accommodate patient load; reports of treatments were conflicting and some turned out to be dangerous. Images appeared of paramedics, nurses and physicians holding their heads in anguish at having to deal with the misery.
Being overwhelmed is quite a different thing. We are often overwhelmed in our work and personal lives, but what we should not conclude is that there is no way out of the misery, pressure and seemingly intractable challenge. The trick, if we might use such a word, is finding a solution, in our own voice, so that we leave the state of overwhelm to a much better place.
Throughout history, when we think of men and women who had been overwhelmed, we invariably conclude they drew upon their inner-strengths to overcome their challenges. Then – unfortunately – all too many of us come to feel, our times are more complex, more difficult and uncertain than theirs.
Nothing really changes
The practice of mindfulness, and being mindful, is ancient. It is a realization that our greatest strengths and reserves come from a place that is deep within and if we draw upon our senses, our authenticity, our very ability to fully respond to what is in front of us we will weather the storms.
Yes, our times might be more complex, but we can also view that complexity as much more clutter than being multi-faceted. For example, many of us, executive leaders included, are often to wrapped-up in social media for opinions, we often won’t allow for our own observations. The same holds true for cable news, where the news presenters somehow become thought leaders. We have all too often become a society of celebrity, where the actions or opinions of minor celebrities make it into our meetings and lexicon rather than respecting our own language and instinct.
Whether social media, cable news or celebrity, in the final analysis and daily decisions none of them have “the right” as it were to interfere with our own unique voices, character and purpose.
You have the tools you need to become more mindful and aware and authentic. Perhaps you feel far from that beautiful inner voice of yours, but you can be guided. You can learn to calm yourself in the storms that may surround you. You can learn to understand that storms are temporary and solvable. Let VIM Executive Coaching help you to appreciate that you can make it through your organizational storms. From the ancient to the modern, mindfulness has endured because we have had no choice to endure.