A couple of years ago a former colleague recommended a book that she knew of from her time at McKinsey. I downloaded it onto my Kindle, but I never found the time to read it until recently, when I began browsing the introduction and realized that the ideas presented in the book were completely in line with my passion for all things positive. As I read each chapter, and read the case studies, I found myself thinking that everyone should make the time to read it!
The book is called “How remarkable women lead: a breakthrough model for work and life” by Barsh, Cranston & Lewis (2009) (or read this summary if you are pressed for time!).
While the McKinsey research that lead to the writing of the book and the development of the Centered Leadership Model was originally very much focused on women, the model can be and has since been applied in practice to male and female leaders.
Talent, the ambition to lead, as well as the ability to adapt and change may be the basis for a successful career, but those at the top benefit from additional skills that are not necessarily discussed in a typical career development conversation! And while the model particularly focuses on developing leaders, I really believe that anyone can benefit from the lessons shared in the book.
Those leaders that stand out from the crowd have often developed capabilities in five interrelated areas:
Meaning: “finding your strengths and putting them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose”
Energizing: “managing energy, or knowing where your energy comes from, where it goes, and what you can do to manage it”
Framing: “positive framing, or adopting a more constructive way to view your world, expand your horizons, and gain the resilience to move ahead even when bad things happen”
Connecting: “identifying who can help you grow, building stronger relationships, and increasing your sense of belonging”
Engaging: “finding your voice, becoming self-reliant and confident by accepting opportunities and the inherent risks they bring, and collaborating with others”
(Descriptions quoted from the above-mentioned 2008 McKinsey summary report “Centered Leadership – how talented women thrive”)
So what’s in it for you? My take on this as a coach is that you can use this model to really quickly assess what areas in your work & life will help you in your career development, and which areas you might want to invest in.
Why not get started now? Step 1: Rate your satisfaction with each of these areas on a scale of 1-10. Step 2: Based on your assessment, what areas do you think might benefit from additional attention and care? Step 3: What can you do today to move the needle in the right direction and increase your satisfaction rating in these areas by one or two points?
Ensuring your career is meaningful to you, taking care of your energy levels, building a support network, learning how to bounce back from adversity and speaking up for what you believe in are all really positive steps to take and will benefit you not only at work but also in your personal life. And it will make you more authentic – after all, when you know who you are and what you are passionate about, you become so much more credible and inspirational!
Have a great week!
Best,
Sarah
N.B. the book “Centered leadership: Leading with Purpose, Clarity & Impact” was published in 2014 (Barsh, J., 2014, Crown Business), and McKinsey offer their Centered Leadership Program to all leaders looking to develop their skills.
