Hey Gang!

It’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything on the BBSG Blog and Podcast.  The past few months have been an unexpectedly trying time for me in my personal life.  I’ve had to adjust my plans and redefine what my life was going to look like. 

My fiancé and I ended our engagement.  It wasn’t necessarily a mutual decision but I’ve
come to realize for myself why it was a good thing.  For a period time though, I was in a funk…..a
deep funk.

It didn’t matter where I was or who I was talking to.  I couldn’t shake the dark cloud, the heartache
in my soul that I was feeling.  An outpouring
of love and support came at me from friends, family and co-workers.  I was constantly trying to pivot my perspective
and re-orient myself to see the love surrounding me, even though “The One” took
her love away. 

I felt like a zombie going through the motions.  I’d find myself in conversations with people
and realize I literally wasn’t even able to hear anything that was being
said.  I could see mouths moving and
hands waving but I couldn’t hear anything but the static silence in my
head.  There were times I couldn’t even
feel the ground beneath my feet; like I was floating above the earth lifelessly
moving from one obligation to the next, doing what I was expected to do by the
world around me. 

This feeling did not leave me when I walked into my office and
took the role of a hospital Director.  I wasn’t
miraculously focused on the work I was paid to do.  It took every ounce of energy to focus my
attention towards my team and to be their resource.  I still heard only static in my mind and felt
that I was floating along, uselessly caring about the obligations that didn’t
mean shit to me at that time.  This
included being the “Good Boss”. 

So I want to talk about the idea that some bosses have; “People
need to leave their personal problems at home while they’re at work.”  I’ve always thought this was a silly expectation
but now I believe that anyone that says this, and believes it’s a realistic
expectation, is revealing their ignorance and is not a leader. 

So why am I telling you all this shit?  Well you lead people, human beings.  Only people. 
You don’t lead projects, departments or organizations.  All of these things are words to describe a
group of, or the product of a group of people…human beings.  You only lead PEOPLE!!

When a Boss says “You need to keep your personal problems at
home.” He or she is using a catch phrase! 
A leadership buzz word!  These
stupid sounds are just curtains used to shield the ignorance of a boss, but
they only serve to reveal that they’re not thinking, they’re not feeling, they’re
not leading. 

Now that’s not saying it’s ok to underperform if you’re
going through some shit in your personal life but it’s also silly to think that
it doesn’t affect your work in some way. 
I recognized that there was no way that I was going to be “on my game”
for a period of time while I worked through my breakup.  I let the managers on my team know that I knew
that I was in a funk but needed them to “call me out” if at anytime I absolutely
dropped the ball on something and wasn’t giving them what they needed.

In a way I was asking for some grace as I work through my personal shit but I drew a line and wanted them to feel confident that I’d be receptive if I was neglecting the...