Early in my career, I learned a valuable leadership lesson. I was leading a team that was working to deliver on a tight deadline.

I was so concerned about hitting the deadline; that I was constantly checking their progress.

One day, someone said to me, “you know we might get more done if you weren’t checking on us every 30 minutes.”

While this comment hit me hard, it took me a bit to see what I was doing. I was unintentionally sending the message that I didn’t trust them and making the environment less safe.

The result was detrimental to our goals. Worse, people didn’t feel safe enough to tell me how they were truly doing with their work.

The result? Increased stress and lower productivity.

To change this behaviour, I kept a journal of my team interactions. It was the mirror that helped me improve myself.

Journalling – a powerful tool for self-reflection.

You’ve got this.