Issue 02 · National Cat Day Edition
Fuel Your Flame
Where insight becomes leadership. A field note on the patterns beneath what we do, and the choices that help us grow.
By Randy May · Guiding Flame Academy
What drives the pounce stays hidden.
The opening thought
Watch the Cat, Not Just the Shoelace
Watch a cat near a shoelace. The pounce is what you see. What drives it stays hidden.
Last issue asked what's beneath your leadership.
This time I'm asking it of myself.
The advice
Communicate Better
We often try to improve leadership by focusing on what people do. Communicate better.
It's the advice leaders hear most, and it's the vaguest. Better how? Clearer? Shorter? More often?
But behavior is only the part you can see. Under every habit sits a driver, and under every driver, a fear. Work on the habit alone and the driver finds a new way out.
Two leaders can get the same feedback and need different work.
- 01One over-explains, because silence feels risky.
- 02The other says too little, because they assume people already know.
The note on the review is identical. The driver is not.
Working on the skill alone is watching the shoelace. Asking what makes you pounce is watching the cat.
So before working on how you say it, ask:
- What am I leaving unsaid?
- What makes it feel risky to say?
- Where do I explain more than needed, and what am I afraid will happen if I don't?
Try it
What's beneath the behavior?
Pick one thing you do as a leader. Answer these one at a time.
My Leadership Loop
I Took My Own Assessment
The visible habit
Building ownership in the people I lead.
The driver underneath
Growth.
The fear beneath that
That it won't turn out right without me.
The moment
What Is the Need?
This month my boss asked for a conversation about communication. She wanted me to know what information she needs from me, and when she needs it.
I agreed with her right away. I teach this. I should be supporting her with it, too.
Her request was not about how I say things. It was about what she needs and when.
Your Leadership Spark
Think about someone you work with.
Now ask yourself:
Do I know what information they need from me, and when?
If you don't, ask them.
Do not just watch the shoelace. Watch what makes you pounce.