I'm a bit obsessed with habits. The reason why is simple: Once you've successfully built a habit, it becomes easy to do this regularly. And when you're intentional about building habits for success, this benefit compounds over time.
I remember seeing a study that found when people try to make a change based on new insights (eg. reading a book, working with a coach, taking a course) within 6 months, 90% of people fall back into their old ways.
NINETY PERCENT!
That's not good. And the key to being part of the 10% is to cultivate intentional habits that align with the results you want to see in your life.
So in today's newsletter, I want to dive into my 5 favourite habits for becoming a more strategic leader, since this is an area so many women who are looking to become successful executives struggle with.
But before I do that, I want to share a big caveat that I'm focusing today on habits related specifically to your work. The reason I say that is that when we zoom out and look at our lives more holistically, many of the same habits that help us show up as better humans also help us show up as better leaders. These include habits around health, such as exercise, good sleep, proper nutrition and stress management.
If you want me to tackle these more foundational habits in a future newsletter, let me know!
But for today, we are diving into 5 work habits that I strongly suggest implementing regularly if you want to start showing up as a more strategic leader (and be seen as exec material). Note: I intentionally used the word regularly. This is not a one-and-done. These habits will serve you best when performed daily or weekly.
Let's dive in…
Habit 1: Deep work – Consumption, ideation and insights
If you've been following me for any period of time, you've probably heard me talk about the value of deep work. The reason I'm so passionate about this is that most people spend zero focus here, and it is probably the biggest game changer I implemented to go from struggling as a director to really thriving as a VP.
Senior leadership requires strategic insights and good judgment calls. Neither of these things is going to happen if you're running from Zoom call to Zoom call all day without stopping.
I recommend a single 2hr deep work block every week. This time can be used to:
- Consume strategically: Eg. reading a business book, not scrolling IG
- Ideate: Coming up with new ideas and strategies (hint: if you're struggling to ideate, you may need to consume more)
- Translating these to strategic insights and recommendations you want to bring to the leadership team
Habit 2: Reflection and intentional planning
Too many of us beat ourselves up when things don't go our way, and then don't do anything about it. This next habit is all about being intentional about what went well and what didn't, and then using this information to learn and iterate.
For example: You share a ‘great' idea in the leadership meeting, but no one seems to ‘get it'. They ask a bunch of questions, question your logic, and it doesn't go anywhere.
Instead of feeling bad about yourself, go back to your office and reflect on exactly what happened. Feel free to journal or take notes. Notice what language you used that didn't land. Make note of the key concerns and questions that were asked. Try to understand where in your pitch you lost people.
Then, use these learnings to improve how you pitch an idea next time.
Another way of doing this is to notice when things go well, either for you personally or others. I used to make a note of the language that other leaders used when their ideas were received well, or they managed conflict in a way that I really respected. And if it felt authentic, I would then incorporate this language into my own leadership vocabulary.
There is so much to reflect on and learn happening all around you. Take advantage of it.
Habit 3: Group idea sharing
In deep work, you'll focus on solo ideation where you'll spend time consuming important information, digging into data, and thinking strategically to create ideas on your own.
With that said, almost all of us benefit greatly from sharing ideas within a group. You'll notice this from top entrepreneurs, business owners, and global leaders who will often talk about their personal boards of directors and mastermind groups.
Almost every successful person I know has some form of this.
The reason this is so powerful is simple: We tend to get stuck in the same ideas, and it's often easier to give someone else advice than it is to give ourselves advice. Not only that, when you surround yourself with the right people, they often have lived experiences you can learn from instead of having to do it on your own.
Finding that group of people was one of the best things I've ever done, and it's something I continue to invest in to this day. This allows me to make better decisions, get called out on my bullshit, and generally just show up as a better leader. It also makes being a leader a lot more fun and less lonely.
This could look like a peer group, a mastermind, or even an informal set of mentors that you call on when needed. You get to decide, but the key message here is: stop trying to do it all on your own!
(*Note, if you are at the VP or C level and want something like this, I'm in the process of curating an executive mastermind group.)
Habit 4: Prioritization and delegation
Perhaps when you read habit #1 – blocking out a 2-hour deep work block every week – you thought to yourself, “That is impossible. I don't have that type of space in my calendar.” If so, this habit is something you need to focus on for real.
The best strategic leaders are making the right calls in terms of where to prioritize their time and their team's time. And they are blocking out time to revisit this on a regular basis, because priorities change.
As a leader, you want to be asking yourself questions like:
- If I only did one to three things today, what would those be?
- What is the number one thing I should be focused on that will really move the needle?
- If each person on my team had one to three priorities, what would they be?
As you identify the key things that you know you should be doing, you'll notice that there are a lot of other things you're probably doing today that will prevent you from focusing adequately on these priorities.
This is where delegation comes in. The best leaders both prioritize what's important for them and their teams and effectively delegate the things that they should not personally be doing to free up time for the things they should.
If you struggle here, you may have heard that I'm hosting a workshop on Delegation for just $27 in a little over a week from today. Don't miss it! It may be the game-changing skill that you need. Grab your spot here, or check out more details below.
Habit 5: Relationship building
This habit often gets overlooked because we are so focused on doing the work and improving the skills that we completely forget about the people side of things. When it comes to stepping into an executive leadership role and being impactful in that role, stakeholder relationships matter more than you probably know.
First, if your manager puts you forward for a promotion, there's a very good chance the rest of the leadership team will need to agree with this recommendation. If you have not built strong relationships, they may doubt whether you're ready for that next level.
But even once you get to the VP or C-level, relationships continue to matter because influence becomes more important than ever before. And guess what is at the root of being someone who has a strong influence? Relationships.
Because of this, you should be carving out regular time to:
- Assess your relationship with key stakeholders
- Build stronger relationships with these people (and your team)
If you haven't spent much time investing in this area, think about who the key stakeholders are within your organization and outside your organization that may be able to impact your career trajectory or who you need to buy into your ideas. What's your relationship like with each of these people today?
You'll want to spend time strengthening relationships that are already strong, and also building relationships with whom you don't have a good connection with today.
This can be as simple as keeping a list and then making a note if you come across an article that may interest them or have an idea that you want to run by them. Make it a regular habit because many people let months and months go by without remembering to nurture their network. If you do this, once you need them, you may find they aren't ready to support you.
You don't want to miss this workshop:
If you struggle with habit #4, you can't afford to miss my upcoming workshop: From Doer To Leader: The Executive Delegation System.
You'll walk away with:
- Clarity into what's holding you back from delegating effectively (and why mastering this matters for your promotion)
- My task audit framework and your personal delegation action plan (created during the workshop)
- My proven 3-step framework to delegate successfully without micromanaging or sacrificing quality
The cost of this workshop is just $27! Want in? Grab your spot here.
Until next time friends… ✌️💜
Katy
