Excess Baggage: How to Lighten Your Load as a Leader

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.- Zig Ziglar

Writing in The Living Faith, Lloyd C. Douglas tells the story of Thomas Hearne, who, "in his journey to the mouth of the Coppermine River, wrote that a few days after they had started on their expedition, a party of Indians stole most of their supplies. His comment on the apparent misfortune was: 'The weight of our baggage being so much lightened, our next day's journey was more swift and pleasant.'

Hearne was in route to something very interesting and important; and the loss of a few sides of bacon and a couple of bags of flour meant nothing more than an easing of the load. Had Hearne been holed in somewhere, in a cabin, resolved to spend his last days eking out an existence, and living on capital previously collected, the loss of some of his stores by plunder would probably have worried him almost to death."

As leaders we often carry a lot of baggage that weighs us down. Perhaps it is the baggage of stress, personnel issues, financial challenges, etc. It’s time to identify this baggage and make changes that will make you a more effective leader.

How different would your life be as a leader if the excess baggage you carried was lightened? Think of how much more productive your day could be without having to shoulder the weight of that baggage. Are you ready to experience it? Here’s how.

If it’s not your baggage- don’t claim it

Unfortunately, many leaders fall into the trap of trying to be all things to all people. While your heart might be in the right place it will only bog you down as a leader. It’s neither your place nor responsibility to be all things go all people or to involve yourself in matters that can easily be handled by others. While it might make you feel good or look good in the eyes of your people, it will burn you out as a leader.

As it pertains to this excess baggage it would do you well to live out the spirit of the Polish Proverb that says, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

Travel light for greater results

What Thomas Hearne learned from his misfortune was that the journey was more swift and pleasant with a lighter load. How much more effective could you be as a leader if your load was lightened? It’s when you cut loose from the excess baggage that weighs you down that you make the most progress.

What excess baggage is holding you back and slowing you down? For best results remember – travel light.

Get a fresh perspective

When Hearne’s load was lightened he had a different perspective. Where before it might have seemed burdensome and hard, now it was more manageable. When carrying excess baggage it’s easy to get stressed or have a bad attitude.  It was when he lost what he thought was important that he began to see things in a different light.

When you lighten your load as a leader you will get a fresh perspective of what is important, who is important, and why you should have acted sooner. Nothing will invigorate you more as a leader than a fresh perspective and a lighter load.

Get real about your priorities

Don’t be your own worst enemy. You don’t have to claim baggage (especially that from other people) that is not yours, you don’t have to be the “answer man” for everyone’s problems, and at the end of the day, you are expendable. Don’t allow your pride to tell you otherwise. That being said; get real about your priorities. Set boundaries and stick with it.

Here is an exercise for your consideration: Make a list of some of the “excess baggage” that you are dealing with at work/home and figure out what you need to take ownership of- that which is truly within the realm of your responsibility. Then make a list of what you need to cut loose. Set a target date by which you intend to free yourself from each item. Keep working the list until you are moving more swiftly and the journey is more pleasant.

Your work as a leader will be more productive and pleasant when you are focused on what belongs to you. Your stress levels will diminish when you are not worrying about baggage that does not belong to you. Don’t be afraid to lighten your load. Your leadership depends on it.

© 2016 Doug Dickerson

Turning Your Stress into Success

When the pressure is on, great leaders are at their best. Whatever is inside them comes to the surface. – John Maxwell

A story is told of actress Carol Burnett who got out of a cab one day and caught her coat in the door. The driver was unaware of her plight and slowly began to edge out into traffic. To keep from being pulled off her feet, the comedienne had to run alongside down the block.

A passerby noted her predicament and quickly alerted the driver. He stopped, jumped out, and released Miss Burnett's coat. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously. "Yes," she gasped, "but how much more do I owe you?"

That light-hearted story shows a humorous way of responding to what could have been a not-so-funny outcome. In our world as leaders we can find ourselves in stressful situations. How it’s handled matters.

It’s not a secret that the stress in the workplace is on the rise. In a recent study by Nielsen (http://bit.ly/1CUMamt), 80% of U.S. workers said they can identify at least one thing that stresses them at work. The stress factors include low salaries, intense workloads, and taxing commutes to name a few. 

Great leaders are those who, when under pressure, step up and deliver in spite of the stress. Of course this is easier said than done. So what should a leader do when he or she is in the pressure cooker? Here are three approaches.

Put your stress into context

At times we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to the stress. For instance; we procrastinate on an important deadline and are now scrambling to complete at the last minute. We allow our imaginations to run wild with scenarios we create that adds fuel to the fire. Your workload is doubled without warning and there's no extra help. We speculate in “what if’s” and get worked up over hypotheticals. It all adds up to one thing: stress! Can you relate?

The best thing you can do as a leader is to put your stress in context. You may be overwhelmed or feel that your current “crisis” is about to sink you. Allow me to make a suggestion – take a step back and take a deep breath. Look at the big picture. It may not be as big a deal as you think. If it is…keep reading.

Get a game plan

Establishing context about your stress is essential. A game plan is a way out. Here is a simple formula to help you get your game plan ready: W (What I am stressed about?) +W (why I am stressed?)+W (What can I do about it?) = S (Success). Get some paper and begin to work on your plan. Here’s how.

First, identify your stress. Is it a personnel issue? Is there a breakdown in organizational structure or communication? Is it a personal issue? How is this stress impacting your ability to lead? Regardless of where it takes you, figure it out. Second, now that you know what it is, you need to figure out why it is stressing you. What are the immediate consequences of your stress? Is this stress an imminent threat to your organization or personal life? Etc…  Finally, write out what you can do about it. What are the top two or three action steps you can implement immediately that can help? Is there someone who can help you? Do they need to?  Keep in mind, there may not be anything you or anyone else can do about it. In such case, you have to change your attitude toward it. Now that you have a plan – work it!

Apply your lessons

Smart leaders are out-front leaders. You will never avoid stress as a leader so learning how to deal with it will make a world of difference. Smart leaders know how to manage their stress and the negative impacts it can make across the spectrum of your organization.

Every stressful situation is a test and whether you pass or fail depends on your approach. Not all stress is self-inflicted, and not all reactions merit the same response. Smart leaders apply the lessons and learn from it.

Success over stress is all about your context, your game plan, and your attitude. Choose wisely!

© 2015 Doug Dickerson