Upgrade your executive team and lose the drama

What kind of an executive team do you have around your boardroom table? What about inside your head?

When it’s time to make that big decision, whose voice do you hear? What is it saying?

“Don’t screw up.” “Are you sure?” What if it turns out bad?” “What if someone finds out how scared you are?” “Failure is not an option.” “You’ll get rejected if you let them see the real you.”

The ones I hear in my head most often are “What if they think it’s a dumb idea, stupid?” and “What if I missed something?”

Dialogue like this can easily cloud your vision, trump reality and undermine your effectiveness as a leader.

We call these D-Level Executives. D for Drama.

D-Level teams have three positions that are invested in holding you hostage. The Chief Victim Officer wants you to give in, play it safe, and fear being rejected. The Chief Persecuting Officer attacks you for being lazy, stupid and uncommitted. The Chief Rescuing Officer tries to convince you that you are responsible for everything and everyone.

If you have a D-Suite, I recommend you fire them and replace them with a suite of C-Level officers. C for Compassion.

The Chief Openness Officer supports you, believes in you, and encourages you to be honest about how you feel and what you want. The Chief Resourcefulness Officer is a creative problem-solver, helping you use your gifts, build on success and gain confidence in yourself. The Chief Persistence Officer holds you accountable without attacking or blaming you, and supports you in staying true to your boundaries and priorities.

Your D-Suite may be real, or it may be inside your head. Either way, we say fire them and replace them with Compassion-level Executives. You’ll sleep better, lead better, and be a much more pleasant person to be around.

This story was originally published March 4, 2015 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Upgrade your executive team and lose the drama."