Winter: Get Cozy, Settle In and Transform Your Leadership

Join us for the inaugural episode of season 5 of the Seasons Leadership Podcast. We discuss the transformational season of leadership we know metaphorically as winter. The energy of winter is different, things slow down, we are more self-oriented and self-reflective. Discover how this period, though outwardly quiet, under the surface provides the opportunity for us to transform not only ourselves but our leadership.
 
Show notes:

In this episode we talk about:

· Honoring the time and space to transform and the importance of feeling our feelings.

· How you know when you are experiencing “winter.”

· Actionable advice on what to do when you are experiencing winter in your life and as a leader.

· What to avoid or resist during this season.

· We end with a discussion on self-care. Excellent leaders have a responsibility to take care of themselves.

Get started on improving your leadership journey by reflecting with us on what the season of winter has to offer you.

Resources:
Self-Care Makes Room for Leadership Excellence - Seasons Leadership Podcast
www.seasonsleadership.com/podcast/s3-e36

Winter Reflection – The Almanac (our blog)
www.seasonsleadership.com/almanac/winter-reflection

Winter Playlist on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7266D2WQ714FR72IoLscoz?si=c20b065f9903445c

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Hi, welcome to Winter with the Seasons Leadership Podcast, where we celebrate this time to go deep, transform your leadership journey. We will bring you actionable advice to improve your leadership and your life today, Hi.

Speaker 2: 0:16

I'm Susan and I'm Debbie, and thank you for joining us. At Seasons Leadership, we share a vision to make excellent leadership the world-wide standard. Learn more at SeasonsLeadershipcom. Welcome to Season 5 with the Seasons Leadership Podcast and thank you for joining us. Debbie, can you believe Season 5? No, it's crazy, I know. I know If we would, if somebody would have told us this back when we started this podcast adventure, I think I could not have believed it.

Speaker 1: 0:59

And those of you who didn't hear the story, we are such accidental podcasters to start with. We didn't start out wanting to have a podcast and then we got into it sort of accidentally, but it was meant to be, because we love it. We love doing it and we really feel it's a good way to get information out there for all of our listeners about what we care about, which is leadership and leadership excellence.

Speaker 2: 1:26

Exactly, and we've met so many great people this way too. Oh, it's been amazing yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:31

Amazing.

Speaker 2: 1:32

Let's just get started. Season 5, winter. We're going to talk about winter today.

Speaker 1: 1:38

Yeah, and here in the Northern Hemisphere we are in the season of winter. I did a post on social media and I said fall has finally arrived. This was just a few weeks ago and someone said fall, we're in winter already, and where I live, and so it all. You know, how you experience winter in nature differs depending on where you're located. How you experience metaphorical winter as a leader differs by a lot of different factors like where you are, what you're doing, what you've already been through, but at seasons leadership, we like to use the seasons cycles of nature as a metaphor for leadership and for life. So we're entering that winter, we're in that winter and for us that seasons it's all about transformation. That's what's going on right now is transformation, and it can be ever so quiet when it's happening and it can feel like nothing's happening.

Speaker 2: 2:43

Right, which is can be distressing for us. I mean especially us in the United States. I think we celebrate activity and progress and that kind of you know energy, and the energy in winter is much different.

Speaker 1: 3:03

Absolutely. It can feel like no energy Right. It can feel like, I mean, I know, for me personally things slow down. Or they feel like they slow down in winter and where I normally would be very energetic and driven and just get this thing done and really task oriented. In winter I'm much more self oriented, introspective if you're right, right it's.

Speaker 2: 3:31

I know I sleep a lot more. I'm in the northern northern hemisphere and so it's dark here a lot, and I think that hibernation is something that I do, but I also think I mean it's what we need. We need to, we need to slow down at times in our lives and rest and allow ourselves to rejuvenate, and I think that's where transformation comes in, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 4:04

Well, that's where you're allowing the energy you do have to be focused on creating that transformation.

Speaker 1: 4:10

I mean, think of a tree. Tree may seem a weird metaphor here, but think of a tree, especially deciduous ones that lose their leaves during the fall. It's so beautiful, all the colors and then in winter they're just a bunch of empty sticks sticking up there, right, and it looks like they're dead, but they're not. They're just hibernating, as you said. They're just allowing all their energy what energy they do have to be focused on transforming them for spring, and then, when spring hits and the buds start coming out, and then they get into full leaf again. It's an amazing transformation, right? So the transformation is happening now, in winter, while they're dormant, right, and that's I mean.

Speaker 2: 4:56

Some people may actually take it to an extreme and be dormant in the winter, but I think for most of us, it's an effort to slow ourselves down and to say it's okay that I'm not doing doing doing all the time right now, that I'm just being it's very important, I think, even if we're not consciously aware of what's happening inside of us, there is, there is connections being made, made and all the work that we've done in spring and fall and summer is accumulating and we are being transformed and, by allowing the stillness To kind of do its magic work on us, give us some space.

Speaker 2: 5:52

It's amazing what that transformation can bring, and and and I've I've seen it in myself and I've seen it in others where if we, we don't honor the winter, the metaphorical winter, and Honor that space, it's that's when we start to churn and we don't really know what we're doing. We've got a lot of activity but not making a lot of progress, and so it's, you know, winter comes and I think we can. We can get through it by honoring it. If not, it just kind of drags Through, through our life, right, and we can, we. We eventually have to have to face it.

Speaker 1: 6:35

Well, yeah, absolutely, and so there's lots of different feelings you can feel when you're going through winter and I think it's important to take a little side trip here and talk about Metaphorical winter you could be experiencing that at any part of your life, through any season you could be in, it could be somewhere where you are, but you could be experiencing winter with, let's say, your finances, or let's say your love life, or let's say your, your business, work, or all of it together. So there's lots different cycles going on at the same time. So it's important, as you said, susan, to pay attention to it, to be introspective and go okay, what's coming up for me right now? What am I feeling? What am I thinking? What am I inclined to do or not inclined to do? And for some people, that could be like Restless energy because they're not used to sitting still like me, right, right. So it's like I should be doing something, I should be doing this. That word should is a clue for us. Yes, wait a minute. No, I shouldn't be.

Speaker 2: 7:43

No, that's a good. Do I need that's a great actionable advice is that is, if we're saying I should be doing this or I should be doing that, that's a clue to take a pause and really think about what's really going on.

Speaker 1: 8:01

Yeah, and it's perfectly normal. Whatever feelings you're feeling are perfectly normal for you. Just don't forget that. So don't try to compare yourself to other people. Well, that person looks like they're very energetic right now. They may not be experiencing winter. Mm-hmm, even if it's winter outside the window, right, they may not be experiencing it. So only compare yourself to yourself and say what am I feeling? What's coming up for me? Well, how do you generally get clues of that? You're in winter, susan.

Speaker 2: 8:34

I think it's the in-between time, so how we in season's leadership what we think about is fall is when things are changing. So it's the fall is really the endings of things and it's the deciding you're gonna let something go and so that can be, you know, can feel okay, but it also can feel sad. So the but the winter is for me it's the time in between the letting go and the finding what is new. So it's a little bit directionless, kind of, in some areas.

Speaker 2: 9:18

If you feel like you're floundering, yeah, I don't really know what I wanna do you know, like, if I'm thinking about like, I didn't really have winter when I retired from Boeing, and I think the reason why is maybe it was a really quick winter Cause I, as I was coming to that point, I mean I was going through. You know, my career was really, I would say, probably in summer. I was going good and I mean I loved it, I was contributing, I had some great projects, but then, on a personal note, my son-in-law got very ill and ended up passing away. So it changed my viewpoint about like where, how was I spending my life? And you know, I got another reinforcement that life is short and where we are spending our time and our energy should be very thoughtful and deliberate. And so I got to that point where, like, well, maybe I've been at Boeing for 30 years, Maybe it's time to do something that I've been thinking about for a long time.

Speaker 2: 10:40

I had this idea when I retired someday way in the future that I would start my own business and become a coach, and so Brandon's death really made me reconsider what that was. So there was a period of time where I was thinking about this and talking to people like, is this really time? It was a bit scary. But then I made a decision and then but I knew what I was kind of heading for. So I think maybe I had a short winter in that period of time, but I didn't get my business up and going for probably, you know, a year and a half, two years later. So there was that. Maybe that's a winter. It was a little bit of floundering.

Speaker 1: 11:30

Yeah, sounds like you were going through the winter of figuring it out.

Speaker 2: 11:34

Figuring it out.

Speaker 1: 11:34

Something's ended, so my career's ended, though I thought I was gonna be out for a lot longer. I know what I wanna do, but I don't know all the specifics to make it happen.

Speaker 2: 11:44

Yes, I made the decision but didn't really have all the answers. So, yeah, so it was a little bit of that, I guess. Maybe I was going deep you know about. What do I really want?

Speaker 1: 12:01

I had coaches at that time working through it all and going deep is super important in winter also, but and getting input from other people, so you can consider different things. But one thing that often happens also is through peer pressure, or the uncomfortableness that comes with just being and not doing in our society today. It can cause us to want to take action, even if we haven't gone deep and figured out what that is. And that's something to avoid because and resist even though you're getting peer pressure, because if you're not ready to make that change, then you may find yourself doing something that you'll end up reworking or will have been wasted effort. So it's really important to, like I said, look inwardly and go hey, what am I experiencing right now? What's going on for me?

Speaker 1: 13:07

And I'm very doing oriented person, and so, in fact, I like to do lists, just like, and cross things off I've already done, because I want to feel good about having done it. And so for me, it's about resisting the urge, both internally but also of other people, saying well, this is unlike you to not have, you know, tackled this already, or you know what's going on with you, are you feeling okay? And to resist all that and say I'm right, where I need to be and I need to be just being for right now.

Speaker 1: 13:41

Exactly and, like you, I may feel a little bit Rutherless or not knowing exactly what's gonna come out of it, and and it really it was about making myself okay with that and focusing on the things that I can focus on during that time. So Embracing those feelings, right, yeah?

Speaker 2: 14:04

yeah, it's not easy, though, you know, I'm thinking you're, you're having me reflect back of that time when I had left Boeing and starting this new business and and there is a there were a lot of stop, starts and stops, starts and stops, you know, because I try something and that wasn't exactly right and and I, you know, and it is Society and our communities around us, they weren't, I mean in general, like what are you doing, susan? What's next for you? What are you?

Speaker 1: 14:42

looking on now.

Speaker 2: 14:43

Yeah, are you? Are you applying for jobs? You know, you know what's what's happening, you know, and so that is, that is pressure. You know, that is everybody's well-meaning, but it's when you, when you're doing something out of the ordinary or not in line with what everybody else is doing, it's, it's just you can feel the pressure.

Speaker 1: 15:04

So so let's give our listeners, like, what can they do about that? Yeah, what can you do when you're feeling you're in winter? Well, first thing is Slow down. Like we said, it's not easy, but slow down and create that space for the, that deep reflection and and what's coming up. Maybe journaling, if journaling is your thing, or Reading, or connecting with other people and asking you know, have you experienced this? What came up for you? Whatever way, it looks like that you can Allow for these thoughts and ideas to to surface so you can figure out when you get to spring, what's that going to look like right, right, I like Getting out and walking, mm-hmm that is.

Speaker 2: 15:58

You know that it gets, gets my body moving and kind of clears my mind. So I recommend, recommend that it also helps you be more present. So especially if you can be out where you can see nature. Some times I'm in the city so you know I'm not don't see that much nature, but I guess I in Seattle we I have trees and mountains around me so I can see that. So that's nice.

Speaker 1: 16:27

Yeah, anything. And if it's hard for you to do that because you're experiencing full-on actual winter geographically and physically, then find some other activity that helps you get centered, like Susan said with walking in nature. I agree with her on the walking in nature. That's a number one thing. But if that's not possible, that doesn't mean all is lost. You can find other activities that really feed you and and contribute to what you're thinking and feeling. I find often if I'm just, if I take a breath and I'm just open and I remind myself, just be open. You never know what's going to come up or who you're going to meet or what you're going to hear. That's going to Spark something in you to go. Oh yeah, I need to plunder that a little bit more about what I do. The other big thing in winter for me is self-care.

Speaker 2: 17:25

Talk more about that. What do you do for self-care?

Speaker 1: 17:28

It varies. It really varies and there's a wide variation of it. It gets kind of whatever I'm feeling at the time. Sometimes it's working out, but specifically working on a certain thing, like I may increase my yoga because it's more mindful. It allows me to leave my brain in a place where it can just see what comes up and be open. Or it may look like I'm taking a couple days off from working out because I overdid it and I just need some rest. Or it may look like making time to have a good long conversation with one of my friends.

Speaker 2: 18:13

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:14

Or a date night with my husband, it doesn't matter. Self-care can look like anything, whatever's important to you and relevant to you, but the point is doing it. It can be big, it can be small, it's just whatever's meaningful to you.

Speaker 2: 18:31

I think what you're saying too, which I think is really important, is that it is something meaningful. It's allowing you the space and latitude to get what you need. And it could be nothing. You could be sitting there with nothing. And I think sometimes I can get myself in a knot if I think I'm not doing self-care. I should be doing yoga, I should be doing I know. See, this is the thing. I should be taking a bath, damn it. And I should be having my glass of wine there. But you know, and then I don't do it, and then I feel like what's wrong with you, susan, you didn't do your self-care, so I'm just beating myself up. I mean, that is not the opposite. That's the opposite of self-care.

Speaker 1: 19:22

Yes, yes.

Speaker 2: 19:24

You know, so if should, is the trigger that we should be listening for Next time we do.

Speaker 1: 19:31

I'm sorry, I should be doing this. Then we find ourselves saying that just switch up the language. Yeah, I could be doing this. Is that what I want to do right now?

Speaker 2: 19:45

Yes, is that helpful or not?

Speaker 1: 19:47

Yeah, and then you're doing self-care right, because you're asking yourself what do I need and how do I do this? And I wanted to take a quick segue and tie this back to leadership. So we've been talking about what do people need to do as people for themselves? Well, guess what? Leaders are people, and taking care of ourselves, the self-care, the allowing time to just be and go deep that winter brings to us allows us to transform as leaders. Also right, because if we're taking care of ourselves, then we're going to be able better able to be there for the people that we lead and the organizations that we lead and the things we're responsible for. So another thing with leaders is sometimes they feel like they got to have every answer about every question all the time. You don't have to. No, you don't have to. Well, you can. You can take some time.

Speaker 2: 20:48

Yeah, you can't, it's not even, it's impossible.

Speaker 1: 20:50

So, taking the time in winter to focus on being not doing and as you're resting, reflecting, taking care of yourself, you're also renewing as a leader. So sometimes those thoughts that come into my brain when I'm just being and being open to opportunities is oh, this would be really great. Let's dig deeper into this. Here's what I'd like to do with the team, or here's what I'd like to do with my client, or here's right. So things are going to come up for you, not just in one aspect of your life, but holistically and pay attention.

Speaker 2: 21:32

Yeah, I think it's a really good point, Debbie. As leaders and we are promoting excellence in leadership it's not a nice to have Leaders have a responsibility to take care of themselves so they show up the best that they possibly can for their teams and their clients and for the communities which they lead. It's not an option, yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:06

So actually should really does apply in that case.

Speaker 2: 22:09

Yeah, it really is. It's a responsibility. I feel so strong about that, because when we're depleted, we just cannot possibly show up as our best selves.

Speaker 1: 22:21

Absolutely. No, we can't Absolutely. And so, maybe to kind of bring this home, I'd like, susan, you to share a story. You're realizing about to realize a dream that came to you through maybe multiple winters. So why don't you tell the listeners a little bit more about that?

Speaker 2: 22:45

Yeah, so this is probably like five or six years ago. I started reflecting about what my values are and what's really important to me and I'm very interested in my heritage and I started having this dream. My one of my, two of my top values are wonder and awe, and I thought what would bring me wonder and awe? And I thought I want to go live someplace else. I was born in Seattle and here I am three miles from where I grew up, and I really love adventure and I've been to a lot of places, but I haven't actually stayed in extended time anywhere. So so then I thought, well, I want to go to Ireland. I'm a lot Irish and I wanted, I want to do that. And so I.

Speaker 2: 23:44

It starts in winter and in the physical winter, because I find that, as that, it's a temporal marking of the year, and for me, I just find it natural to look back on how did that year, the past year, go, and what do I want in the future.

Speaker 2: 24:04

And so I've been doing that, and so I had this dream okay, this is what I want to do, and I want to go to Ireland. And it started out, you know, pretty fuzzy, and but you know why not? There's no reason why I couldn't do this and we had a pandemic in the middle of all of this and things like that. But it's been getting more and more real and so, which is which has been great, and I've been connecting with people and telling them my dream. I think that is the biggest positive I can share with somebody if you have a dream, tell people, because people want to help and they have ideas, and and so, as it turns out now, so this spring I am going to Ireland, for I'll be there for about two months, so that's pretty extended, and I hope it's just the start of going back multiple times.

Speaker 1: 25:07

Oh, that's wonderful. So there you have it. Susan allowed the time it took for this dream to fully come to fruition, right, and now she's ready to to go with it. But it starts as a very small glimmer, right, sometimes before the transformation, and transformation can take several cycles before, yes, it actually shows up at its full effect. But we'll be able to track throughout the year on this podcast how things are going for Susan in this dream, and this is in alignment also with our desire to share more of our own personal stories and leadership transformations. So there you have it for winter, and we'll we'll end with. We have a playlist on Spotify for winter. We have them for multiple seasons, but if you'd like to give a listen to that and think about what songs to add, you can find us seasons, underscore leadership on any of the places where you listen to that, but Spotify you can find us there. So with that, susan, any last words for our listeners today about winter.

Speaker 2: 26:21

Now, well, it's you know, get cozy settle in and transform.

Speaker 1: 26:30

And if you need more inspiration and advice, you can find us at wwwseasonsleadershipcom. Until next time. Thank you, listeners, for joining us today. We hope that you were inspired by this conversation.

Speaker 2: 26:43

We invite you to join our community on Patreon see the link below. There you will find more resources to help you on your leadership journey.

Speaker 1: 26:52

And you should join us next time for more conversation about leadership excellence.