My Scaling Up Lessons Learned

Picture ​My very first job was baking bagels at age 15 back in Connecticut. When my family moved to Arizona a year later, I bagged groceries and stocked shelves until I graduated high school, then sold clothes while in college. After getting my degree I joined Arthur Andersen & Co. as management information consultant where I worked in Phoenix, Chicago, and Seattle. After 11 years I went to Microsoft where I worked for nine years before leaving to homeschool our son. My professional life now is as an author, publisher, consultant, and disability inclusion advocate. It’s a journey that I never anticipated and am thankful for the great life learnings it afforded me. Through the years I’ve experienced countless bumps and bruises, made lots of mistakes, and had a few successes along the way. One of my biggest growth areas, though, was in my scaling up as a leader. So much of what I learned came through making my own mistakes versus learning from others. To help you avoid touching the stove (trust me, it’s hot), I compiled a list of some of my most valuable (and painful) learnings. Hope they’re helpful.

Lean in during a crisis
Say “I’m focused,” not “I’m nervous.” Others want to know you’re in control.Be calm when everyone else is freaking out.Sometimes your best alternative is your least-worst alternative.Don’t be evasive or “go dark.” Others will make up their own answer if you don’t give it to them straight.Immediately get alignment on the goal and what needs to happen next, even if you don’t know all the steps to get to the goal.Act deliberately to match the urgency of the situation.Execute with purpose
Be manic about bringing clarity to chaos.Think good-enough to solve the problem; don’t polish the apple.Respond when asked for help, but ensure others are helping themselves too.Be clear on what, who and when and hold others accountable for getting things done.Be decisive but be willing to admit when you’re wrong.Make and follow through on tough decisions empathically and intentionally.Don’t let the urgent crowd out the important.Schedule everything in your calendar, including down time.Cultivate others
Be accessible, not open door; you need to get things done too.Respect others’ time like you want yours respected.Genuinely seek and candidly share wisdom.Don’t delegate tasks to complete, empower problems to solve.Do what you say you’ll do, and expect others to do the same.Create an environment where others feel comfortable asking for help. Be a great communicator
Have high value per word (Two ears, one mouth).Ask clarifying questions to ensure understanding.Ask knockout questions to challenge thinking.Watch others for verbal and nonverbal cues and adjust your actions accordingly.Behave like you belong in the position
Walk and talk with purpose, not like you’re out of control.Be politically aware, not politically driven.Never do anything that causes someone to question your integrity or principles.Know what life contentment (personal, professional, financial, etc.) looks like and work to achieve it.Don’t make your position look so taxing that no one else would want it; no sending 2 a.m. emails.
I’d love to know what you think of my learnings or if you’ve got questions. Ping me at www.lonniepacelli.com/contact
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Published on August 30, 2021 00:00
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