This week I asked myself, “Do I truly understand what real support means to me?”

After coaching thousands of executives, I can say that many leaders have a blind spot when it comes to real support that helps to grow their company. When C-Suite leaders receive real support, there is a tendency to put their back up and get defensive or angry. Why? Because someone is pointing out a gap or issue in your company and you feel responsible; you feel criticized.

I recently had a situation where one of my teammates challenged me with an idea to support moving the company forward and I got triggered and heard, “You’re not doing well enough”. What my teammate really said was “I am trying to support you in making Awesome Journey the World-Class company you and I want to create.” I was unable to hear real support in that moment.

What does real support look like to me?

I allow my team to:

1. Challenge and question me
2. Hold me accountable to my promises and agreements I have made
3. Be a sounding board to my ideas and challenges
4. Give me feedback and embracing it
5. Teach me
6. Serve me – give me their time to execute projects with their expertise
7. Care about me

The new question that I am pondering is – “How much support am I allowing into my world to support me in being a Powerful Leader of a Great Company?”