It is natural to have blindspots in our thinking and perspectives about things.

For example, perhaps you travel to a different country and use your finger to point at someone, which is seen in that country as very offensive.

Of course once you become aware of this, you will likely stop doing it (I hope at least).

That is why the more we understand about our blindspots - the way we perceive things - and how they might be hurting us, the more ability we have to decide if we want to keep them...

Most of us prefer working for a leader who we feel cares for us over one who only cares about results.  

Many research studies confirm the same: empathetic leaders create higher performing and more motivated teams.

Chances are if you're listening to this you are already a caring leader, but there is an oportunity that many leaders overlook which is so simple and yet goes a long way when you want to demonstrate caring for your team. 

In this episode I share this simple thing...

Last week we reflected on who we became as a leader over the last year and how it helped us achieve what we have so far.

This week we focus on how to achieve what we want for the next year (our "one thing") and how you can create weekly actions to do so.

Your resulting "one thing" and the weekly actions you can take should leave you feeling inspired and motivated to get started on becoming your next version of yourself as a leader.

Here are the reflection questions:

1. State the "one thing"...

What have you accomplished over the last year as a supervisor and leader?

And more importantly, what led you to achieve what you have - and what may have prevented you from achieving more?

Taking the time to reflect on questions such as these can set us up for greater growth and success in the coming year.

Just like we do project reflections, we should reflect on our own learning too.

But learning what we have achieved should not be restricted to just the "how" we did it.  We also need...

The way we see our role as a leader relates directly to the way we use our time and the impact we create.

It also relates to the level of overwhelm and burnout we experience.

Based on some common misconceptions, I am sharing how you can make the most impact as a humanitarian or development leader.

You'll learn two shifts in perspective that will help you focus your time and prioritize what will make the most impact for you and your team.

How much does your team rely on you?

Maybe it's not the entire team that needs your help.

Maybe it's one or two people.

You have shown them how to do something again and again...

And still they don't do it on their own.

If you recognize this situation, it is likely you are partly responsible for it.

You may think you are being helpful, but your actions as a leader are creating a team that's dependent on you.

How can you make your team become not rely on you?

Find out in this week's episode.

Are you being a team player?

You may be surprised by the answer.

I see many aid worker supervisors saying "yes" to take on more work, so they can be a team player.

But ironically, many times by doing this they are doing the opposite.

They are not being a team player - they are actually letting their team down.

There is a small difference between REALLY being a team player and not being one.

Small but significant.

And knowing if you really are a team player can help you make better...

It is very helpful as humanitarian and development leaders to ask ourselves about patterns we see with our team's behavior. 

Once we understand the "why" behind our team's behavior, we can ask ourselves what role we have in contributing to it, and whether we want it to continue or change.

Today we are going to focus on the reasons why our team asks us for advice.

Why do they ask us what to do?

It can be very interesting to understand why our teams ask us what to do, rather than just...

What is your most important priority as a humanitarian or development leader?

Something that if you don't prioritize, your work will suffer, as well as those around you?

It's not a donor proposal.

Or a community visit.

If you said your own health and wellbeing, you're right!

If we are not healthy and in a positive mind-frame, then the quality of our work will not be our best.

And so we will not make the impact we're seeking.

This seems like commonsense, but so many of us fail to prioritize...

If you consider yourself a perfectionist, or lacking confidence, or experiencing imposter syndrome, chances are you have an inner critic.

You know - the voice in your head which says you're not enough, or that your work is not good enough.

It is SO common - I have several of them and see them show up in many humanitarian supervisors I coach.

And yet, sometimes we forget that this inner critic is NOT US - it is just a voice we have a habit of listening to.

It can become such a part of us that...