We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tania Friedlander a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Tania with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
To effectively respond to this, it’s essential to consider certain key factors. As we grow, we naturally develop various habits, practices, and routines. It’s crucial to first define our goals. From a young age, I understood the necessity of establishing specific habits and routines to compete at a high level and maintain peak performance. The initial step is always to clarify our objectives: What am I aiming to achieve? Identifying our strengths and weaknesses is next, with weaknesses being the obstacles hindering our success.
Self-awareness plays a pivotal role in this process. We must be brutally honest with ourselves in assessing what we seek to accomplish and understanding our strengths and weaknesses. This understanding allows us to leverage our strengths and navigate around our weaknesses. It might involve adopting a particular mindset or practice, but the key is finding what aids us in reaching our goals.
Comparing ourselves to others is least beneficial. Often, people look at others, observing habits like early rising, meditation, and exercise, and feel inadequate. However, such comparisons are not constructive. We must cultivate self-compassion and recognize what works for us, as individual effectiveness varies greatly.
Just because a specific routine enables one person to achieve high-level success doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. Therefore, I learned to listen to my body and discern what was effective for me. It’s valuable to draw inspiration from others, adopting aspects of their approach that resonate with us, but without feeling discouraged if certain methods don’t align with our needs.
Clarity in our goals and the necessary changes to achieve them is crucial. This understanding and self-awareness of what to focus on and where to seek support have been instrumental in developing my self-discipline. It’s about being honest with oneself and establishing habits and routines tailored to our goals. Remember, there’s no universal solution, what works for one may not suit another, and that’s perfectly acceptable.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I work with leaders, small business owners, and professionals, focusing on coaching that centers on defining clear goals. Often, people lack clarity about their objectives, both short-term and long-term. My approach involves first establishing a precise vision and understanding of what they aim to accomplish. We then explore potential obstacles to achieving these goals. This could involve identifying self-limiting beliefs, boosting confidence, recognizing strengths and weaknesses, or understanding if there’s a need to develop certain skills.
Self-awareness is a key factor in this process. It’s about knowing oneself, managing your energy and time effectively, and acquiring the necessary tools and strategies to reach the set goals. The process involves not only gaining clarity, but also understanding what’s working and what isn’t, and pinpointing areas for improvement.
Next, we focus on strategy. Formulating a personalized plan and assessing its effectiveness, making adjustments as needed. A crucial part of the coaching is accountability, ensuring consistent progress towards achieving the goals. My role is to help clients uncover what’s truly holding them back and guiding them in setting themselves up for success, helping them to avoid the common pitfalls of burnout and the unnecessary grind.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Reflecting on my journey, three key qualities and areas of knowledge have been pivotal:
1) Growth Mindset: This is about embracing learning and flexibility, understanding that goals provide direction, but the path to them can vary. As we evolve, what worked in the past might not be effective now, so adaptability is crucial. Success and failure are not black and white concepts. Every step, even those outside our comfort zone, is a win. A growth mindset sees every challenge as an opportunity to learn, constantly evolving and adapting based on feedback.
2) Genuine Care and Authenticity: The notion of “Fake it till you make it” is deeply flawed. Authenticity and genuinely caring about others are vital. My clients recognize my sincere concern, which has been a significant factor in my success. Leading with empathy and connection is more sustainable than adopting a facade. This authenticity in caring and engagement has greatly aided my journey.
3)Resilience: Perseverance is key in overcoming challenges. The journey will include struggles, making resilience and mental and emotional well-being crucial. Continual growth in these areas helps sustain long-term efforts.
For those early in their journey, focus on gaining clarity, understanding your mental and emotional health, and building resilience. Support is essential. We can’t undertake this journey alone. Avoid quick fixes. Sustainable success is rooted in ongoing personal development, particularly in cultivating a growth mindset, resilience, and genuine care. My experience in professional table tennis underscored the importance of staying in the game, a lesson applicable in all aspects of life.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
It is better to go all-in on your strengths. The popular notion that you can be anything you want is misleading. While you can’t be everything, you can excel by amplifying who you already are, starting with your strengths. Many people find themselves drained and disengaged, jumping between jobs or feeling burnt out in their current roles, often because they are operating in areas of weakness.
Striving to be well-rounded can lead to mediocrity. Excellence comes from developing your strengths. I’ve seen numerous cases where individuals lack confidence and feel burnt out, thinking they’re not effective leaders or capable professionals. However, when they embark on a strengths-based journey, their transformation is remarkable.
For example, I worked with a leader who felt ineffective and overwhelmed, struggling with team engagement and micromanagement issues. She was trying to solve everyone’s problems, leaving no room for team autonomy or creativity. Upon realizing she wasn’t utilizing her strengths productively, we shifted her approach. She learned to delegate, giving her team space for decision-making and innovation, and focused on problems that genuinely required her attention. This change in strategy, aligning with her strengths, transformed her leadership style and team dynamics.
Most people lack awareness of their true strengths, which is where the importance of building this awareness lies. Recognizing and harnessing your strengths leads to increased confidence, engagement, and effectiveness, whether you’re a leader, business owner, or professional. The key is not to dilute your potential by focusing too much on weaknesses, which can only lead to average outcomes. By fully investing in your strengths and applying them productively, you avoid turning them into weaknesses and achieve a state of flow and productivity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://taniafriedlander.com/about/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tania_friedlander/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniafriedlandercoach/
Image Credits
Credit: Photographer: Tom Warren. Photos Courtesy of Tania Friedlander Coaching.
