Spring clean your way to being a better leader

by | Apr 17, 2012 | Leading with trust

I don’t pretend to know everything it takes to be a great leader. I do know that I have tremendous respect for business people who are calm, decisive, energized, and really present for the people they interact with. I also know that I’m at my professional best when I exhibit these traits and that the opposite is true: I’m far less effective when I’m frenzied, unfocused, tired, distracted. And I’ve noticed that I often get bogged down by a most curious phenomenon: clutter. Clutter appears in my life in various forms—in my file cabinets, my hall closet, my mind, my heart. The messier things are, the more my leadership suffers.

Clutter is a drag

Clutter—both the tangible and intangible kind—interferes with my clarity. It distracts me from what’s important. It slows me down from taking intentional action. It leaves me tired, discouraged, distracted and disengaged. As a result, my creativity stagnates and my relationships suffer. Clutter makes my “I am woman, hear me roar” sound more like a meow.

On the other hand, when I put things in order and clean things up, it opens up space—it literally makes a clearing—which allows me to relax and breathe deeply. It gives me the mental clarity I need to pay attention to my environment, rather than live at the mercy of it. It gives me the emotional capacity to really tune into my clients, colleagues, family and friends.

The question is this: in the midst of this crazy, fast-paced life, where could there possibly be time to clear out all my mess?

The answer I’ve come to: There isn’t time. I have to make the time. And springtime is a great time to make time.

One small step for clearing clutter; one giant step for leadership

One thing I’ve learned about clutter is that I don’t have to tackle it all at once. Even the smallest space-clearing gesture makes a big difference.

I might spend 15 minutes purging files. Or delete, once-and-for-all, the “to dos” that I’ve been pretending I’m going to do and know I will never get around to. Or come to terms with letting go of a relationship, either professional or personal, that hasn’t been working for a while anyway.

This spring, I’m setting time aside to clean out my clothes closets and my inner closets. I’m starting small, and trusting that the rest will naturally follow.

Now, please excuse me while I step away from my computer to go sort the junk drawer in my office.

Originally published by Forbes
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Andrea Howe

As the founder of The Get Real Project, I am the steward of our vision and our service offerings, as well as a workshop leader and keynote speaker. Above all else, I am an entrepreneur on a mission: to kick conventional business wisdom to the curb and transform how people work together as a result. I am also the co-author, with Charles H. Green, of The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook (Wiley, 2012).

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