Being a good leader means taking care of your team. Especially making sure they have the training they need to be able to do their job well.

But that often results in neglecting yourself.

I loved this observation from Dawn Cogan in her recent testimonial video about her experience getting training for herself. She said that saying “yes” to yourself as a leader really is saying “yes” to your entire team.

Feeding Yourself Also Feeds Your Team

You know that old saying, “Leaders eat last?” Too often, the reality of the statement is leaders don’t eat. So take a note from Dawn, what can you do this week to feed yourself? What can you read or listen to to grow as a leader?

Leadership Training Helps Your Team

For the context of Dawn’s comments, here’s the video:

If a transcript is easier, you can read her words here:

I’m Dawn Cogan, the lucky one, chosen to lead St. Mark Youth Enrichment as executive director. St. Mark is a nonprofit in Dubuque, Iowa that gets to help kids see the best in themselves and to express that in ways that make the world a better place.

I’ve been interested in this coach certification for quite a while. I met Marc Pitman several years ago, and was just interested in learning more from him specifically.

And as a leader, you have a lot on your plate already, so you’re trying to figure out “How can I carve out that time to, to take the time to go through this certification?” And it’s not just going to be the time that I am in the actual class, it’s going to involve the homework that goes with it and really trying to apply what I’m learning.

One of the really cool things about it once I got into it, was seriously, every week was like, “Marc, were you in my office the past week?” The lessons and the learning were immediately applicable to what I was doing with my team. So I was learning and coaching my team through some things at the exact same time. So the course actually helped me be more productive. It actually helped me move things through a process more quickly.

And so what I thought I didn’t have time for, or what I questioned if I had time for, but just thought, “I’m gonna just take a leap of faith and I’m going to sign up for this and I’m going to do it, and I’m going to commit to it,” ended up, showing up for me at exactly the right time and actually saving me time and making me more productive, making me a better leader in real time.

The other thing as a leader is, so often, you really do put yourself last. You say, “I have to take care of my team. I have to develop my team. I have to figure out what they need.” Really though, you know, the old saying, “put your own oxygen mask on first”? Make sure you’re taking care of yourself so that you can take care of others.

And in this particular situation, I just really dove into what the course was going to be about, spent some time talking with Marc what it was going to look like.

Then just decided that it was time to say “yes” to me as a leader. And saying yes to me as a leader, really, if you’re being honest, is saying yes to your entire team. Because if you become a better leader, that is better for my team.

If something’s stirring inside of you, that is saying, I need this, I want this, I’m curious about this, just take the leap because you’re going to be so pleasantly surprised that what you need is going to show up and help you immediately.

Leadership Is Learned

The good news is leadership can be learned. Through trial and error. And in leadership courses.

If you want to learn to grow as a leader, check out our leadership development intensive. In a few short weeks, you’ll learn how coaching skills will help you grow your team’s capacity to think for themselves. And you’ll even earn an accredited certificate for your HR file.

Get the details for the next course at https://concordleadershipgroup.com/coaching-certification/.

Just think, in less than a quarter, you ane your team can be working much more effectively!