Am I the right person to be leading this right now?

If you are asking whether or not you are the right person to be leading where you are right now, you are not alone. Between the all the changes, ambiguity, and uncertainty of the present and the future, it is completely normal (and helpful) to question if you are the best person to be in your role right now.

In January 2020, you had dreams of what this year was going to look like, had plans for how it was going to make a way for 2021, and you were excited to get started! We all were. And then March 2020 flipped the script upside down and the change, ambiguity, uncertainty of this season (and the future) became the norm.

So, how do you know if you are still the right person for the job?  Let me ask you a few questions and your answers will let you know, for now, if this is still a good fit for you, and your team.

Do you love your team?

Do you love the people you are leading with, and serving, right now? Do you like them? Do you enjoy problem-solving with them? Do you enjoy dreaming with them? Do you have fun with them even in the midst of chaotic time? If you can confidently say “yes” to these questions, then you’re still a great leader for them; you’re in the right place.

Are you helping your team grow and succeed?

Now that most of us are beginning to come up for air and the dust of change has settled (as in, we’re now fully aware of the changing times we live in, not that the change has ceased), are you helping your team members grow and succeed? Do you have their best interest in mind? Are you seeing new gifts and abilities emerge in response to the ambiguity and uncertainty? And are you helping support these with whatever resources are available? If you said “yes” to these questions, then you’re still a great leader for your team; you’re in the right place.

You might have realized that there are new skills that you personally want to develop in light of these times. If so, please invest in yourself so that you feel equipped and confident as a leader! But if you are finding yourself focused only on your own competencies and future, and not your team members’ as well, then your leadership role may not be a good fit any longer.

Are you sharing your power?

Are you sharing your power with your team members, or are you merely loaning them your power? Uncertain times reveal our true colors, right? When things are going “as planned,” it’s easy to be our best selves and shine. But when things are challenging (and are they ever right now!) our true beliefs and values show themselves. So, how are you doing with sharing your power right now? Or have you become a bottleneck for all decisions? When everything is changing around you, you absolutely should be involved in major decisions, but if absolutely everything has to go through you, you likely are not sharing your power with your team. And often this is the case when we don’t trust our team members to live up to our expectations. So, if you are still sharing your power with your team, you are in the right place! If however you are simply loaning it, or keeping it all to yourself, you definitely want to question whether this is a good fit for you.

So, if you can confidently say that you still love your team, that you still have their best interest in mind and want to continue to help them grow and succeed, and that you’re still sharing your power, then you are still the right person for your role!

Things may be more uncertain and ambiguous than ever before, but I’m confident that you are your team will figure out the best path forward as you see the new opportunities created by our times.