If the question "How can I serve?" is truly a question, ask it.

Not knowing is humility. Asking is wisdom.
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A bestie has a tough job. She’s an E.R. Dr. in N.Y.C. I asked her recently, after a particularly intense few weeks, if she feels burnt out or just tired. “Tired,” she said. Behind on the rest of life. Looking forward to summer break with her boys. Burnt out? The words didn’t resonate.

She wakes up excited. She comes home spent. She enjoys the comradery, the pace, the intensity, the meaning. She knows what “showing up to serve” looks like: saving lives. Besties not an anomaly. Meaning making has been proven to foster resilience through psychological distress, including COVID19.

For those of us not doing emergency medicine, it can be nice to know we’re “not saving lives.” And, it can be daunting to ask, “what are we doing here?” Some of our service is more nuanced, more woven, more complex, more muddied. What’s essential about our work?

Not knowing is humility. Asking is wisdom. If the question “How can I serve?” is truly a question, ask it. Implicitly and explicitly, ask your direct reports, your boss, your customer, your current and potential clients, yourself (right now): “How can I serve?” Listen to what comes up.

When I’ve asked this question recently, I’ve heard something new! Next Level Leaders are eager to become certified coaches as a next evolution of their connected leadership. To show up to serve, I’ve opened our first ever Next Level Leadership coach certification program in the form of  a one-on-one mentorship with me. This program will eventually become a group training, so if the intimacy of mentorship feels like a ”yes” for you, email me @ Lucia@the-next-level.com.