3Tips for Emerging Leaders

I love learning from people in action. It inspires me to be better when people are out there killing it, doing what they do best. I sat down with Director of Youth Ministry and entrepreneur, Lydia Zielinski, over a good cup of coffee to talk shop.

Lydia and I travelled to Poland a few years ago along with a contingent from Buffalo for World Youth Day. I really noticed her emerging leadership skills as she navigated her group through the rigors of pilgrimage. As a leader working both in a ministry and as an independent contractor expanding her business, Lydia offers plenty of drive and experience for any leader to learn from. I asked her what three tips she would pass on to other leaders if given the opportunity. Here is how she broke it down…

1. Communication. “Communicate well. Communication is key with people who share your vision. You need to be clear and concise with your team. By sharing your vision clearly and tapping what you need from your team, you can execute your larger mission.”

“I recently had an event where I really needed to lean into one of our partners for help. By building a healthy relationship leading up to this, I knew her skills well. From there we were able to communicate in a way that would utilize her strengths. When the time came, I knew exactly what I needed and how to approach her. I was able to be clear and to the point and we got the event done right.”

2. Delegation.“Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of you and your team is important to fill gaps. You have to assess and have a relationship with your team to know what they are capable of. Same for you too. By recognizing your own limits you can build a team you can lean on to cover your weaknesses.”

“I can’t do it all by myself. To reach our goals, I need to recognize others gifts. God has given you people around you to go beyond what you are capable of. This broadens the organization’s reach. People are capable and want to contribute. Use their gifts and talents accordingly. “

“As a leader and a businesswoman, I need to be confident in who I am. It can be intimidating. Be confident that you can tap others into your vision and then do so.”

3. Network.“I spent a lot of time traveling recently. For example, I was in Florida for a national conference that was focused on the challenges the Church faces today. It was a great opportunity to meet people from around the country. My advice is to not be afraid to connect with people as much as possible. Be available to people who are striving in their life. You never know who you’ll meet or how you can help that connection, or vice versa in the future.”

“Build up a network of pros that can feed off of each other. I have been reaching out to the outer circle of people I may know and filtering out the people who are into the same goals and visions. I’m not going to spend the time opening up to people who don’t share that vision professionally. I have to identify people who have similar thoughts, goals, and dreams build off of them. It can be counter productive otherwise.”

Special thank you to Lydia for sharing these tips. If you enjoyed this, feel free to stay tuned for more tips you can apply into your role. Keep up to date by signing up for “The Climb” at RighteousCo.com for the latest happenings, resources, and content.

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Lydia is the Director of Youth Ministry at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Williamsville, NY. She is also working hard as an independent contractor with Juice Plus, delivering quality nutrition an food to the people. Lydia has a passion to write about authentic femininity and masculinity in her own blog here.

From Draggin’ to Dragon: Burnout

Burnout is a very real scenario for leaders and if you don’t manage and deal with it, it can make your life toxic. When you find yourself really draggin’, you need to ask yourself why so you can get back to being that fire breathing dragon you are.

You know the feeling of being unmotivated, unproductive, on edge, dried up, desolate, etc. etc. We’ve all been there. There is a difference between the “I’ve been up all night,” to the “My soul has seized up”. That’s burnout. It’s claimed many from their mission and team. Recognizing it early is important so it doesn’t get out of control. On a spectrum from complacent to fried, I tend to ride the edge of the burnout wave myself. I push hard in my labor and it often gets me into mental/emotional trouble. I’ve come to know my limits well and when I need to throttle back.

1. Break the streak: When your engine starts to seize up you need to take a break. Be honest with yourself. Get outside the situation and give yourself some air. Pray and take some time to get clarity. Open up to someone you are close with about it. Take a little time off if needed. Remember what it was like to be at your best and see what’s holding you back now. A. Do you need rest? B. Can what is broken be fixed? C. Do you need a new direction?
2. Lay out a plan: Be intentional on your next steps. Use your break and clarity to set baby steps in either A, B, or C. Set your big goal and test out each step on paper to see what it looks like. Seek another voice for advice, like your spouse, a peer in your industry, mentor, or coach. Which direction gets you moving? Ask yourself “why?” and “how?” along each step.
3. Get back to action: You have what it takes and it takes effort. Get started. Follow your baby steps and build momentum. Keep moving and digging at it. If you stall, give yourself a push or ask someone you can count on to keep you accountable. Assess along the way but keep your goal in sight, pivot if needed. Burnout will tell you a million reasons why you can’t. Build your discipline by acting even when you don’t want to. Yes, you can. Inaction will cause you more heartache and keep you down.

A great book I can recommend as a follow up is “Off Balanced” by Matthew Kelly. I’ve been through it 4-5 times and helped me gain perspective in a larger context.

I know, it’s not as easy as 1. 2. 3., there is no magic trick. It’s gritty. But you need to deal with it, so let’s go!