It can feel intimidating to ask for candid feedback from your team members and direct reports, peers, and superiors. It’s like (ladies, you’ll appreciate this analogy) here in South Louisiana when I am getting ready to go to a party, or to the grocery store, or to just about anywhere, I first go to the mirror and ponponer (primp).
I make sure my hair is fixed and lipstick applied. Of course, I want to take a hand mirror and check out the rear view to make sure I don’t have a rat’s nest in the back of my hair! When I ponponer, I want to be sure to get a complete view from every angle.
As a leader, looking in the rear-view mirror can be a powerful experience. Seeing yourself from every angle—including from the perspective of your team members—can even move you to change.
It’s common for policies, procedures, rules, and regulations to be put into place without giving much thought to how they’ll be implemented, whom they’ll affect, and whether they’re practical or even necessary. Yet self-aware, confident, secure leaders aren’t threatened by dissenting opinions. And they wouldn’t put in place a procedure without considering its frontline implications and applications.
So, go ahead and ponponer, but be sure to check out the rear view!
To learn more Cajun wisdom to spice up your leadership, check out the full recipe in “Lead, Follow, or Get Me the Hot Sauce.”
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Jennifer Ledet, CSP, is a leadership consultant and professional speaker (with a hint of Cajun flavor) who equips leaders from the boardroom to the mailroom to improve employee engagement, teamwork, and communication. In her customized programs, leadership retreats, keynote presentations, and breakout sessions, she cuts through the BS and talks through the tough stuff to solve your people problems.
