Written by: Sarah Gibbons, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The world of ‘leadership’ focuses so much on how to manage up, and how to manage down, but often ignores the relationships between equals.
There’s a reason it’s nerve-racking giving a presentation to our peers or our colleagues – because it’s often the trickiest of relationships when it comes to leadership. I got permission from my podcast co-host, Tashion Macon, to share a real-life example I had with her the other day. Just because I’m in the world of leadership transformation doesn’t mean I’m not human! I’ve always seen Fashion as my equal. We’re in the same season within our career and the qualities that I love in her, I can own in myself (integrity, confidence, courageousness to just name a few). We were in conversation and Tashion was riffing about mental health, an issue we both feel very strongly about and before I knew it I found myself shrinking on the inside. I could feel a physical response, with my stomach feeling wobbly, and I could hear a little voice saying, “She’s so much more brilliant and articulate…” It was harsher than that, but you get the idea. What I really noticed is how I let those thoughts impact my leadership in the moment. I could feel myself distancing from the conversation and ultimately, Tashion, which didn’t feel good. My energy dropped, which gave me a whole other thing to judge because it felt like I wasn’t carrying my weight. Maybe you’ve had this experience with colleagues who are on your level or your partner in life. I noticed just this month, I’ve had a handful of clients share a similar experience and concern for how to show up as their most potent self with colleagues on the same level.
Leadership Coaching Tips with Peers
Here’s a few Leadership Coaching Tips to help you stand in your leadership, especially when you’re with colleagues of the same level.
Resist the temptation to put them on a pedestal. We humans often subconsciously put our equals on a pedestal, which can result in us feeling ‘less’ than. I once worked with a coach who would tell all of his clients in the meetings,“Whatever you do, pls do not put me on a pedestal. It creates a hierarchy in our relationship when there doesn’t need to be one.”
Be present and comfortable with your gifts and talents and seek to own yourself fully instead of trying to be someone you're not. This creates self-accountability!
If you find yourself in the experience I had this week, then own it by leading from vulnerability. I told TashionI wasn’t looking for a compliment but I wanted to share why I showed up the way I did because I could feel the impact it had on our conversation. It felt so liberating to tell the truth and own my humanity. Learning to lead in any situation is like surfing (I’m learning). It takes practice over and over and over, especially when it comes to leading with peers.
Connect
Listen and subscribe to my newly launched podcast, The Tidal Podcast, with my colleague Tashion Macon, world-renowned Executive Leadership Coach to the stars. We talk to incredible wavemakers who are changing their industry one ripple at a time and we dive deep into who they are BEING to make a difference in this world. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Sarah Gibbons, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sarah Gibbons is a renowned executive Success Coach based in LA who’s worked with incredible leaders like the LA Clippers, the Weitz Foundation, the teams at award-winning Creative Agency Hey Wonderful, The Talent LA, Executives at Google, Chiat, and more and she’s become known as the “LA Creative Whisperer” for her tough, but the real, effective and graceful approach to leadership coaching. In addition to running The Mother Board, she runs The Board, The Father Board and coaches corporations, organizations, and individual leaders. She’s also a wife, mother of three young boys, a philanthropist, published author, and inspirational speaker.
