Why it matters: Supporting your team in their individual quality checks opens opportunities to learn about the alignment between their values and tasks. When conversations are open, the ideas that drive the biggest contributions can emerge.
After 1.5 years of writing, I finally ordered the first physical draft of my book last week.
Time for the final quality check.
Holding "Being Human (Centric): A Leaders Guide to Culture, People, and Profits" in my hands felt surreal. This book was 3 years of research, experience, and conversations, then 1.5 years of writing. In those 4.5 years, I've become a different person. I've already talked through these ideas with everyone I know.
The book feels like it's already come to life for me. So this moment feels both right on time and overdue.
We so rarely stop to ask if the things we're doing are quality things, holding our own quality checks.
I did my first life quality check about 3 years ago and decided I wasn't satisfied. So I changed everything and went after big, difficult goals. I did another one 2 weeks ago and thought: "I'm going to live a life more than this."
It's scary to let go of what you've gotten used to, even if it's not bad, just not good enough for you. This comes back to our caveman biology, wanting to exist in the safe, known world.
Quality checks can bring joy in confirming you're on the right path, deepening trust in your intuition, or revealing you've wandered off course.
You hold this thing you've labored on and make the big decision: is it ready to see life?
I don't think I'll ever feel like this book is fully ready, since I learn new things every day and become something new all the time. But off it goes. It's ready, even as I know it will already be changing into something else before me.
Talk soon,
Rachel
Leadership trainer, novelty junkie, and human being
P.S. Here's a preview of my book!! I can't even believe it. Isn't that cover pretty dang handsome???
Dig a little deeper: Want to get on the preview list for my new book? Join early access here, or listen to one of the podcasts on Spotify where I break down what these human-centric ideas actually mean.
What’s next: Team quality checks can be as formal as year-end reviews or as casual as a question in your next 1:1.
As a manager, try asking: "Do you feel like what I ask you to work on aligns with where you believe your biggest contribution is?"
As an employee, ask yourself: "Is this the best way I can contribute within my own powerhouse of ability and values, right now?"
Want More?
There's resources on the website for you to download, from free conflict resolution guides, to courses on human-centric leadership, and much more!
Feel free to explore them all.
Thanks for joining me on my search for novelty and one human-centric leaders's journey towards a more balanced life.
