Leadership is about striking the right balance. Here are some examples of what I mean:

• Pushing your team to get results or backing off and allowing for more creativity and innovation.

• Being more hands-on verse being more hands-off.

• Giving direction or asking questions and allowing for more inquiry.

• Being strict or loosening up and letting things go.

• Being open and vulnerable or holding back and being more reserved.

And most of the time for these it is not all or nothing. It is somewhere in the spectrum where the best results lie. This will depend on your personality, the other people involved, and the situation. And this will change from time to time as the situations and people evolve.

Finding that right balance is what I call the sweet spot. This is the ideal way to handle the situation to get the best results.

So how do you find the sweet spot?

Here are four ways to help you get there.

1. Be fully present- When you are living and leading in the present moment you will have an increased sense of awareness. This will allow you to be more intuned to what is arising and how to best handle it. Using mindful leadership principles such as giving people your full attention, doing one task at a time, and using daily check-ins will help you achieve this.

2. Experience and reflection- In leadership and in other areas of life you are going to do some things well and you are going to make mistakes. It is first about being willing to take action and to take chances. Then it is about learning from what went well and what did not. When you reflect on these experiences it can help guide you for future situations.

3. Seek feedback- Getting others' perspectives on how you are doing and about the situation is vital. We often have blind spots that can hinder our leadership. Getting feedback from others is shining a light on any blind spots that you have.

4. Use your intuition- In leadership, there is often not one obvious way to handle a certain issue. Even if you do all of the things mentioned above it still may be a difficult decision. Your intuition can be a great resource in these situations. With practice and trust, your intuition will become strengthened over time.

The goal is to hit the sweet spot or as close to it as often as possible. When you implement the four strategies above you are giving yourself the best chance to make this happen. As a leader though there will be times when this doesn't happen. In those situations, it is about owning up to it, learning from it, and showing yourself grace in knowing that you are doing the best that you can.