Worried that you're in the wrong job? Maybe. Maybe not.

Estimated read time: A teeny bit over one minute.

I want to share a story about a client who struggled with a mirco-managing boss, how to balance being a mom, and wasted energy every day asking if she should stay or go. She was exhausted and just wanted some damn clarity. Sound familiar?

Katie came to me unhappy. Her manager was unresponsive and then, he micromanaged her. She loved her team and the technical challenges of her role. But, she no longer cared about the company's products and craved meaning in her work. The money was good, but the hours sucked. As a single mom, she needed more time at home and to top it off, she dreamed of ditching the corporate gig to become an artist.

She was torn. Should she stay or should she go now? (Insert 80s soundtrack.) Should she choose the money or the time? Should she find a new job with better hours, create her own art business, or stay with the stable, "responsible" thing?

Can you relate, to the jumble of priorities and the feeling of having no real choices?

So, what's the answer? Getting clear about your non-negotiables and making choices will enable you to have everything you want.

When you define your non-negotiables, they rise above everything else and act like a north star that guides every decision - even the question of whether you stay or go.

Here's how it works using Katie as our example:

In coaching, Katie’s non-negotiables became crystal clear: 1. daughter; 2. salary and benefits. Katie’s decisions became clear, too, which enabled her to take action. In the end, Katie changed jobs to an organization with a great manager, a meaningful purpose, an awesome team, AND she has better work/life balance. She sells her drawings for fun. She sacrificed a bit of salary to create the work and life she wants and is happy again.

Just like Katie, you can have everything you want once you are clear about your priorities. Let's get on the phone and get clear about you want. We’ll quickly identify your top non-negotiables, answer the question, “should you stay or should you go,” and strategize your next move.

Christina

P.S. If you are ready to stop wasting your energy worrying if you should stay or go, hop on the phone with me. We’ll get clear about your priorities and strategize your next move. Email me at christina@boydsmithcoaching.com. P.P.S. If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, they can sign-up for The Corporate Rebel Video Podcast and Newsletter HERE.

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Leadership lessons at the lobby coffee pot

Last week, I was in San Diego for strategy meetings with my business mastermind (i.e. my coach and business peeps). Being from Minnesota, I was awake every morning at 5:00 while my CA roomies were still asnooze in their beds. Luckily, the hotel served tea very, very early so I found my way to the lobby each morning to grab some caffeine and catch up on email.

At the coffee pot, I met a hotel employee, Luis. One morning, I commented to Luis that he seemed to really enjoy his job. This is what he said, "I love working here. We don't have bosses. We have leaders. They don't just sit in their offices and order us around. They come out here to help us."

Luis got me thinking about you. We've established in the past two weeks that you are a leader regardless of your role. Many of you are also bosses. If you are a great leader, you will also be a great boss. We've all had great bosses. (If you haven't, call me now!)

It doesn't work the other way around. We've all known or worked for sucky bosses who weren't leaders (that NEVER happened to me in my corporate days).

Luis pointed out important differences between the two so you can see where you (and your boss) are behaving as leaders or, ugh, as bossy-pants:

1. Bosses sit in their corner offices and tell people what to do. Leaders inspire the team.
2. Bosses have positional power and use it. Leaders have power by virtue of respect, trust, and affection.
3. Bosses micromanage and want everything done "right." Leaders delegate and play to people's strengths.
4. Bosses take credit. Leaders give credit and praise generously and often.
5. Bosses stand in the limelight. Leaders fade so that other people can have success and attention for their accomplishments.

Think of leaders you've loved and bosses you've hated. What can you learn about your own leadership (or bossy-ness) from them?

Lead on!

Christina