Welcome And Leadership Promise

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Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast, where in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, Elise Boggs Morales, leadership professor, consultant, and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to treat compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance, and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results? 12 minutes starts now.

The Story Shaping Your Leadership

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Hi everyone, Elise here. Welcome back to the podcast. Last week I had the privilege of sitting down with my coach, Rosanne Austin, to talk about the role mindset plays in leadership in life. If you missed it, you can actually watch the interview on YouTube or listen to it on any platform. One of the things Rosanne said that has stayed with me all week is this what you think, what you believe, and how you take action ultimately shape your results. That sounds simple, but if you really stop and think about it, it's profound. Every leader has a story running in the background. Most of the time, we're not even aware of it. It's the story we tell ourselves about who we are, what we're capable of, what other people expect of us, and what leadership is supposed to look like. Those stories quietly shape the decisions we make every single day. So today, I want to build on last week's conversation by asking you one question. What story is shaping your leadership? It's important to look at our stories because stories become filters. One of the things I've learned from coaching executives for nearly two decades is that leaders rarely struggle because they lack intelligence. They struggle because they're operating from stories they've never questioned. Think about it. If you believe, I have to have all the answers, how will you lead? You'll probably avoid admitting when you don't know something. You'll hesitate to ask questions. You'll carry unnecessary pressure. Not because anyone expects it, but because of the story you're telling yourself. Or maybe your story is, if I delegate, it won't be done right. So you keep everything on your plate, you become overwhelmed, your team never develops. Not because you don't believe in delegation, but because of the story behind it.

Common Beliefs Leaders Treat As Facts

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As an executive coach, there are a handful of stories I hear over and over again. It's all on me. If I don't hold everything together, it will fall apart. As a leader, I have to have the answers. If I show uncertainty, people will lose confidence in me. I don't have time to slow down and reflect. My job is to solve everyone's problems. If I want it done right, I have to stay involved. I can't let people down. I have to carry this alone. Do any of these sound familiar? The interesting thing is that most leaders don't recognize these as stories. They experience them as facts. These stories then become self-fulfilling. The stories we believe influence the actions we take, and the actions we take reinforce the stories we believe. It's a cycle.

How Stories Become Self Fulfilling

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Imagine a leader who believes my team can't do it as well as I can. Because of that belief, they micromanage. Their team never gets the opportunity to grow. Performance stays mediocre, which then proves the original story. The story created the outcome, not because it was true, but because it shaped behavior. One of the greatest leadership skills isn't confidence and always being certain, but becoming curious. Instead of asking, is this true? Ask, is this a story I've been telling myself? That's a very different question. Sometimes the biggest breakthrough isn't learning something new, it's questioning something old.

A Weekly Exercise To Get Unstuck

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So here's an exercise you can try this week. Grab a piece of paper and write down an area where you feel stuck as a leader. Maybe it's delegation, maybe it's conflict, maybe it's visibility, maybe it's work-life balance. Then ask yourself, what story am I telling myself about this? Don't edit your answer, just write. You might discover things like, I have to earn rest. I'm responsible for everyone's happiness. I can't let people see weakness. Those aren't leadership principles, those are stories, and stories can be rewritten.

The Ripple Effect On Team Culture

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When you begin to challenge your stories, there's a leadership ripple effect. So here's why this matters beyond you. Leaders don't just lead through decisions, they lead through beliefs. If your story is scarcity, your team will feel scarcity. If your story is fear, your team will sense fear. If your story is possibility, people begin to believe more is possible. That's why your mindset matters. Positive thinking doesn't magically change outcomes, but your beliefs do shape your behavior. And your behavior shapes culture.

Two Questions To Challenge Your Story

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I'll leave you with the same kind of reflective question Rosanne challenged us with last week. Take an honest look at your current results, not with judgment, but with curiosity, and ask yourself, what story might be creating these results? Then ask an even better question, is that story actually true or is it simply familiar? The moment you begin questioning the stories that have been running your leadership, you create the possibility of leading differently. So in closing, leadership isn't just about changing your behaviors. Sometimes it's about changing the beliefs that produce those behaviors in the first place. When your thinking changes, your leadership changes. And when your leadership changes, everything around you begins to change as well.

Closing Thoughts And Next Steps

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So, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Share it with another leader who needs it. I'll see you next time. Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then, go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.