When we first start a conversation with our team member, they may say they want to solve a certain problem.

But if we allow them the ability to think things through, sometimes the original problem is not the REAL problem.

In other words, what they say they want is not what they REALLY want.

This is a powerful realization, and can mean the difference between having a conversation which results in no action because the root problem has not been addressed, versus one that allows forward...

Are you humble?

And if you say you're humble---does that make you not humble?

We may think we are being humble with our teams.

But many aid worker leaders (myself included) have come to define our validity as leaders with the ability to tell our teams what to do.  

Our ego is tied to our ability to provide the answers.

We are not being humble enough to admit our way is not the only way.

And that although telling others what to do makes us feel important, it doesn't help our team...

Have you ever learned a new skill and did it perfectly the first time?

Probably not... at least if it's a skill like learning a language, riding a bike or delegating to your team.

Even though it is almost impossible to do something perfectly the first time, many of us still think we can do so.

I see it in my coaching students - the desire to do coaching perfectly the first time they try it.

To skip the hard steps of learning.

To simply "know how" without any practice.

The thing is, when we...

It's not always easy to ask others for help.  It can make us feel vulnerable, incompetent or we don't want to burden someone else.

And yet, there are times when it is actually our responsibility to ask for help.

I am talking about when to ask your supervisor for help.

Many of the leaders I work with are reluctant to ask for help, when it is obvious they need it and that doing so would alleviate a lot of worry and anxiety.

In this episode I discuss when is it appropriate for you to ask...

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"...

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...

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...

"One the Annual Report is done, I will develop my team."

"Once we hire the new person, I will take that course."

"After the year end close, I can visit the community."

See a pattern here?

The pattern is thinking that later is better- and that we don't have enough time right now.

And the thing is - once "later" comes (after the annual report, year end close or new staff hire) we STILL say "I don't have enough time."

And then we use another excuse to delay the important.

Our brain likes us to...

What is your relationship with your team?

Do you tell them what to do?

Do you do work for them?

How often do you feel frustrated by another mistake, or something that's gone wrong for the sixth time?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you may be in a parent-child managerial trap.

We may not even be aware of how we can become parents sometimes when managing our teams.

But the result of this type of dynamic can be a team reliant on its leader, and not able to think for themselves, or...

Last week we looked at how to become aware of how you're using your time as a leader (in part one here).

This week we will now look at how you WANT to be using your time so you can make the impact you're seeking.

This means looking at how can we use our time more effectively?

There are many ways to do this, and in this episode I share some of the ones that I find aid worker leaders struggle with the most:

1. Blocking time for high value activities and how to guard that time
2. Deciding in advance...