Pearls of Wisdom for the Everyday Leader with Christine Willis

As leaders, we’re used to having a lot of people look to us for instruction, for guidance, and for the right answers. But the truth of the matter is that we don’t always know what those are! We all make mistakes and we constantly strive to bring out and share the best version of ourselves every day, and what matters most is that we never stop evolving.

Learning from our own experiences as well as the experiences of others and growing from them each day truly is the key to success for the #EverydayLeader; so in the spirit of learning we’d like to share with you some profound insights from our recent chat with Christine Willis, VP of Operations Services and Franchise Operations for Qdoba Restaurant Corporation, and her inspiring journey as a leader.

To listen to our full conversation, click on this link and subscribe to the #EverydayLeader Podcast.

Six pearls of wisdom we took away from our chat with Christine:

#1 Love what you do

We all have days when we can feel overcome by our responsibilities for leading others and by the pressures of bringing your A-game day in and day out. But just knowing that you are making a real and positive impact on the lives of your teammates, acknowledging that, and loving it, is what will fuel your drive and your courage to pick up and start anew tomorrow.

#2 Make time for yourself

You-time is critical. You really aren’t that much use to others if you don’t put on your oxygen mask first. Don’t feel guilty about blocking out a morning, an afternoon, or even an entire day to do something focused solely on you. Maybe its a massage, a work out, some retail therapy, or even just a NAP — whatever it is you need to do to recharge your batteries, DO IT!

#3 Balance isn’t key… accepting that it isn’t always achievable is!

Hearing others brag about how great it is to be able to strike a happy balance between work and family is getting old. The reality is, sometimes you just can’t. But acknowledging that you’re going to have a 20-hour work day, or miss your daughter’s recital, or be out of town for yet another weekend… and knowing the reasons behind your choices are serious and will be worth the sacrifice, is what’s key.

#4 Your family is your life support

We’re human, and everyone needs somebody to lean on every once in a while. Family, or whoever else that is for you, is everything. So consistently square away unplugged and uninterrupted time with them – at least once a week – because if you can help them understand why you do what you do, they can turn into your biggest cheerleaders!

#5 Slow down

Remember that everyone moves at their own pace, processes stuff differently, and isn’t always a part of all the same conversations that you are privy to. So during times of disruption, give your peeps the space they need as well as a solid explanation of the WHY. Why are we moving in this direction at this particular moment? And why with this sense of urgency? The less they are rushed and kept in the dark, the more successful you’ll be at facilitating whatever change is going on.

#6 Embrace your fears

Last but not least… feeling scared is HEALTHY. It means you’re probably about to enter unchartered territory. Those uncomfortable moments of doubt when all you want to do is flip a giant U-ey and retreat are when you’ll experience the greatest development, and be better for it every day. This is a guarantee.

No one can understand the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into captaining a ship, as well as other captains do, so we’d like to thank Christine for sharing these invaluable pieces of advice with us and we hope they can help other #EverydayLeaders out there, reading this post as well!

To hear more about Christine’s unlikely but inspirational path to leadership, some of her pet peeves, fun anecdotes, and other lessons she’s learned along her ride, click on this link to listen to the full episode or subscribe to the Everyday Leader Podcast.