Seasons of Leadership
Embracing Intentional Imbalance in Your Career
Navigating Seasons of Leadership: Lessons from My Journey at Apple
It was a unique moment in my career when I joined Apple, a turning point that marked my first time as an individual contributor (not a manager) since college. I’d graduated from West Point, where leadership was ingrained from day one. My first role out of school was as a platoon leader, where I was responsible for 36 soldiers. Even as I moved up to an executive officer position, I had a staff to lead and manage. My entire post-Army career was in management roles as well. Leadership and management were the core of everything I did.
So, stepping into Apple without a team to manage was a strange shift. For the first time in over a decade, I could direct my full focus toward my personal development and work rather than the development and deliverables of my team. This role change allowed me to realign my priorities and put myself back in a “student” position. Moving to Austin, I aligned my roots with the University of Texas at Austin, a place I’d long admired. I sometimes joke that I wasn’t accepted to UT after high school, so I had to settle for West Point. Fate had a way of bringing me back here, just in a different role and with a new purpose.
This individual contributor role at Apple was a gift that gave me a unique window to focus on my own growth. I returned to school and pursued a master’s degree, building skills that would eventually help me as I re-entered a leadership position. A month after graduating, I moved back into a manager role. Although this wasn’t directly due to my studies, the timing reinforced the benefits of investing in my development.
This experience made me think about the concept of intentional imbalance in both life and work. In my last post, I discussed balancing life’s priorities, health, wealth, family, and relationships. The same applies to our careers, particularly for managers and leaders. Each decision a leader makes has a ripple effect on four core areas: your team’s deliverables, your team’s development, your deliverables, and your personal growth (and sometimes your own well-being). But it’s nearly impossible to effectively give equal attention to all four simultaneously. Similar to the project management triangle between time, cost, and quality, pick two because you can have them all.
To be effective, managers need to think strategically about the seasons of work, recognizing that different phases will demand different priorities. Sometimes, you must invest in your development to build expertise that will ultimately benefit your team. Other times, your focus will be building a high-performing team, guiding, mentoring, giving feedback, and fostering their growth.
Intentional Imbalance in Action
Intentional imbalance in leadership requires awareness and adaptability. Here are a few strategies to manage the shifting priorities effectively:
1. Recognize Your Current Season: Reflect on whether your current role requires personal growth, team development, or achieving specific deliverables. This can change on a weekly, quarterly, or even yearly basis. You should also consider your organization’s short and long-term goals and vision. Ask what are the factors that are driving your current priorities.
2. Set Short-Term Goals Based on Current Needs: If you’re focusing on personal growth, commit to activities that support that goal, whether it’s coursework, mentorship, or skill-building. For team development, set clear objectives around feedback and skill advancement for each team member.
3. Adapt Regularly: Intentional imbalance isn’t static. Life and work are dynamic, and priorities shift. Check-in with yourself (and your team) frequently to ensure that your focus aligns with the current demands of your role and objectives. How will you know when you need to switch priorities? What are the signals?
4. Embrace Periods of Intensive Focus: Allow yourself to lean wholly into a particular priority when needed. If you’re in a phase where team deliverables are crucial, it’s okay to temporarily let personal development take a back seat.
5. Communicate with Your Team: Being transparent about these shifts can foster understanding and resilience in your team. When they understand why your focus changes, it builds trust and helps them adapt to the rhythm of the workplace.
Leadership is a balancing act that requires frequent recalibration. By embracing intentional imbalance, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the demands of each phase of your career, building both yourself and your team along the way.
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