027: Do Less and Think More, with Tracey DeSilva

Do less and think more. Easier said than done, right? All too often we want to solve our team’s problems by doing it for them. After all, as leaders, we have the answers, correct (wink wink)? In this episode, I sit with Tracey DeSilva, a Vice President of a Learning and Development function, in the healthcare industry. We discuss how stepping back and allowing your team to do their job creates more space for us, as leaders, to become better at ours.

Key Takeaways:

• Focus on being a coach versus doing the work for your people
• Carve out time to write down things, whether you call that journaling or note-taking. This allows you to reflect on your thoughts and reactions to things
• Slow down, take a breath, think more, and do less
• When you include people in dialogue and decision making, you end up with a more enduring culture built on trust
• “Perfectionism is the thief of excellence.” In your pursuit of finding the "perfect" outcome, you speed right past the "excellent" outcome, and excellence is a very good outcome to have for an organization
• Embrace the concept that failure today is preparing you for success tomorrow 
• The greatest resource you have as a leader is tapping into the leadership experience of your fellow peers
• Prioritize the things that will imminently impact the people who report to you, followed by things that are related to the business strategy and implementation
• Remember, as a leader, your way is not the only way

Leadership Resources:

• Imagine it Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change, by Beth Comstock