The Courage Solution

  Career Development   Leadership   New Practitioners   Stakeholder Management   Talent Management   Teams   ProjectsAtWork  

The only thing you can reliably change or control in any company or team is yourself. So start there and be a truth-teller, says Mindy Mackenzie, author, McKinsey senior adviser and former WalMart executive. It’s the first step in building a credible partnership with your boss and collaborative, reciprocal relationships with your peers.

Most of us take on major work challenges with the best of intentions, whether it’s a promotion, relocation or responsibility for a new line of business. Sure it’s stressful, but isn’t the next rung in the ladder supposed to be?

But what happens when suddenly Mondays go from time-to-wrap-the-Netflix-binge-session to full-on ulcer-inducing?

For some, experiences like this can leave them dazed and most definitely confused. So they rely on the same skills that got them ahead in the first place: Grind it out. Work more hours. Whip the team into shape. Go into that turf battle guns a-blazing. Or perhaps they secretly start blaming those above or below. Bad boss. The team doesn’t understand the pressure I’m under.

For Mindy Mackenzie, a former top executive at the Campbell Soup Company, Jim Beam and WalMart, there is another way to succeed in corporate America. And be warned, it may sound scarier than anything above.

Her advice: See your boss as human. Be vulnerable. Ask for help. Take care of your mind, heart, body and spirit before the …

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