3 minute read
Am I managing? Year of the rat
Our regular columnist Natalie Barker, Head of Transformation at Southern Cross Health Insurance, observes how differences in perception can be useful for personal growth as a leader.
Just after Christmas, my cat brought me a gift, a very large and very much alive rat. She brought it inside and deposited it in the dining room. Both the rat and I were less than impressed. We spent the next half hour chasing each other around the room, both of us squealing every time I got close. Eventually I managed to grab it with a towel and set it free outside, but it took a few attempts because I kept letting go the moment I felt its warm little body under my fingers.
The rat wasn’t the only thing I involuntarily let go of; there were also several choice profanities. I don’t think of myself as a swearer, but according to my daughter, who was observing from a safe distance, I would let one fly every time I got close to the rat. I surprised myself that day - the version of me that I hold in my mind is quite different from what she observed.
The rat got me thinking about the version of me that people see at work. Is their experience of me the same as how I think of myself?
I’m generally a calm and confident person, I’m self-disciplined and hardworking, I can handle a fair amount of pressure, and I don’t get easily upset. I like to think of these as my strengths, but I should be mindful that these traits mean I might also come across as guarded and lacking enthusiasm. Perhaps I don’t recognise when my team needs me to be more open and vulnerable? If I get too stuck thinking of my strengths as positives, I forget about their potential downsides.
But it works both ways. I should remember that my weaknesses also have silver linings. I know I often make decisions based on intuition, without always having hard data to back them up. I’m aware this seems impulsive to some people and can make me appear unreliable, but it also means I’m decisive and act quickly, which is useful in some situations. I also know I'm not always tough enough on people when they underperform, but I need to remind myself that it's because I'm trusting and tolerant; qualities I value.
This year, I have two new resolutions. The first, thanks to the rat, is to stop swearing. The second is to understand more deeply which version of me my team experiences. To be an exceptional leader, it’s not enough for me to know what I’m good at and what I’m not, I need to be aware of my blind spots. I must remember that my strengths have weaknesses and my weaknesses can also be my strengths, and that people will experience them in different ways at different times.
I’m also going to have more conversations with my team about who we each are, who we want to be and what we need from each other, so we can all succeed together.
Natalie Barker is Head of Transformation at Southern Cross Health Insurance. She has been leading people for 15 years and believes that leveraging people’s strengths and passions is the best way to drive engagement and get stuff done.
