Don't Sit It Out - Northbound Action Study

Speaker A: All right. Hey, Northbound. Welcome to this short northbound action study. And this is titled Don't Sit It Out. It's based off of a podcast episode that, at the time of this being loaded, it has not been broadcasted yet, but it will be. The link is here, so you get it early, but it's all about that phrase you've probably heard of in the workplace or in your business or pretty much anywhere that you are, you've heard only focus on what you can control. And we're going to dive into that a little bit. And the whole point of this action study is to take what the podcast already shared, dive just a little deeper, give you some main points, some key takeaways, and the action that you can take to maybe go a different direction and not just be okay with, oh, I. I can't control that. All right, so we're going to focus on what control does versus what agency does, which is a business kind of a business term. So we're going to go into that. So this action study is called Don't Sit It Out. Let's get going. So we're going to. Today, uh, this is real quick, by the way. These action studies are not going to be long, but you'll see main points, key takeaways, and then the right path. That's the action that you could take. It's maybe some action options for you. All right, let's get into it. So we're talking about that phrase you've heard or that advice you've been given, which is just focus on what you can control. And we want to, you know, is that phrase, is it wisdom or is it avoidance? And the bottom line is it can be both, and there is a balance. Let's talk a little bit about that. So when you label something as it's out of my control, that can lead to disengagement and burnout. And so you also, though, don't want to try to control everything either, because when you try to control everything, as you've probably experienced, then it can produce the same result, which is disengagement, burnout, toxic environment, stress, you name it. Leadership failure often will show up as self protection instead of self leadership. And so the goal here is not controlled, rather it's agency. And I want to share a little bit about those terms and what I mean by that and what we're learning here on Northbound. So there's control versus agency and agency, this, you know, phrase that I'm saying, or this little lesson here is a business lesson. All right, agency, um, the Difference is that it's all about influence. It's how you influence your team rather than control it. Control is about forcing outcomes. And sometimes that actually works. I experienced this many times in the military where someone just controlled the outcome. An order was given, an outcome followed. But that doesn't always work well, and it probably doesn't translate real well outside of the military. Control is about trying to dictate exactly what happens, and there's a better way. And that is agency. And what that is referring to is it is a way of choosing intentional actions that are within constraints. It's about empowering others, and it's about managing our own responses. So it's ultimately, as it says above all, about influence. And so key takeaways today is that leadership is exercised through response, communication, boundaries. Not just a position, not just an order, not just a control mechanism. And then avoidance will create just as much damage as over control. You, you don't want to just go, that's out of my control, and avoid it altogether. That may create just as much damage. Leadership exists at every level. No title required. If you are in a leadership position, lead. If you find yourself in a leadership position, lead. And you know what? I'll bet you that you are in some leadership position, whether it's in your home or at your work or in your community or at school, I guarantee you that you're leading somewhere. And so it exists at every level. And there is no title required. Control forces, outcomes. But agency is about influence. So let's talk about the right path, the actions that you can take. I encourage you to identify one situation that is labeled out of your control. This could be at, uh, home. This could be at work. This could be in a ministry. This could be, I don't know, wherever you lead. Identify one situation that you have labeled out of your control and challenge it. I also encourage you to ask, what is the next responsible move I can make, even if nothing changes? And then make, uh, sure you're giving feedback instead of just venting or staying silent. You have valuable input. Give it. And then set a clear boundary around time, behavior, or emotional labor. Set that boundary. Maybe consider it. Set it. And then evaluate what you're going to replace it with. What are you going to replace around that time that you freed up? You created a boundary around a specific amount of time. What are you going to replace it with? And then this is the most important one of all. Offer encouragement to someone on your team this week. Just offer encouragement to someone. Because at the bottom here, you'll see that that culture is built in those moments that you may not think count, and so offer encouragement to somebody. Okay? That is the lesson today. That's the little action lesson, if you will. Um, I encourage you to go listen to that podcast episode, share it, follow, give it five stars, and throw some comments right here on the community, um, and share this community and the podcast with others. All right? Okay. Thanks, everybody, and, uh, appreciate you. Take care.