Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War, as named by the Western Allies. Wikipedia During my visit to Europe, I was deeply moved by this location as well as the museum I toured with my son David. While today it is a photo opportunity for tourists, it was a symbol of humanitarian struggles. The museum told us of hero’s who helped those those through this crisis as well as those that never made it across. Hundreds of stories of great leadership inspired me despite immense consequences.
Insight: Look around your circle and do you see individuals or teams in crisis? Do you become their hero to help them struggle less despite immense effort and potential risk of an undesirable outcome?
In real life: I was mentoring someone for many, many hours in my professional organization and while the person had gained their confidence and had grown so much, their situation was dire due to a toxic culture. I could have told them to leave the organization, but they never would have discovered that for themselves. I could have walked away from the relationship despite the hours invested, but I chose to ride it out to the end. In the end, they left the organization, regained their personal self worth and are living a life full of joy and purpose. I did not walk away, because the human element is too important to me and making an impact on one person at a time is critical to leadership.
Impact: Time is a precious commodity for which we must spend it wisely, but picking situations where we help change the trajectory of an individual or team is a worthy investment. We have one life to live and we are in control of who we help and how we leave our legacy on humanity.
Potential Actions:
- Start an informal mentorship program; hone your craft and realize the impact you can make
- Look for other areas of the business where work is not running as smoothly as yours. Reach out to those leaders and offer your services in helping that team struggle less
- Celebrate the work of others who teach new skills, help someone who was struggling on a project sacrifices their needs for the needs of others.
Challenge: Find your Checkpoint Charlie in your organization and develop a strategic proposal that will lessen the pain and move people through the challenge. Whether it is embraced or not, you develop the skill of assessing the big picture and providing a solution to leave your legacy.
Need more help?
- Send me a note with your situation and let’s talk through how to evolve your approach.
- Framework of One: One Team, One Way, One Goal was an article I wrote about immense challenges I was facing and how I took a step back to assess the landscape and come forward with a strategy to move my work from crisis to one that had a lasting impact.
- Want to connect as part of a collective, consider The Drop In Collective offered on October 24 & October 25th where a team can help you navigate your unique situations with confidence. See below for more details.
- The Drop In CEO podcast, my blog and my book, The CEO’s Compass can be great resources for you to navigate challenges with confidence
- If you just want to connect with me and see how I can support you in a business or personal setback, let’s have a conversation.
Wishing you well and continued success!
-Deb
