Leadership Book Review Blog: Full Circle

Full Circle differs from your typical leadership book, so let me tell you how it made it into my Leadership Book Review Blog.

I recently went on an NKOTB chartered cruise and re-lived my childhood dreams with 3,000 other middle-aged women who love this band as much as I do. These diehard NKOTB fans call themselves Blockheads, and Andrea Barber is one of them.

At this point, you might ask yourself, "Who is Andrea Barber?" She's the actress who played Kimmy Gibbler on the 80's sitcom Full House and the Netflix series Fuller House. She's also the author of the book Full Circle.

I had the opportunity to do a meet & greet with Andrea on the cruise. Her down-to-earth disposition, friendly conversation, and, more than anything, her timeliness impressed me to no end! If you know me, you know I am ALWAYS on time and appreciate when other people show that same respect for my time. So I left the meet & greet and immediately ordered her book from Amazon.

Andrea published Full Circle in 2019, and through the book, she tells her story of her start in Hollywood to real life outside of Hollywood and her return to the stage as Netflix picked up Fuller House.

Andrea left Hollywood when Full House ended and pursued her college degree, landed some regular jobs, got married, had children, battled severe anxiety and depression, navigated divorce, and took up running. Her book is as vulnerable and raw as one gets. Though you won't find this book in the Business Leadership section in the bookstore, there are some leadership lessons to be learned from this book.

One of the stories that stuck out was when she described taking two young children to Target to do some returns. What? The rich and famous (my words, not hers) return items to the store? They don't just pile all their "extra" stuff away in their gigantic mansions? The point of her story was about navigating Target with two young kids and anxiety. Still, I couldn't help but be struck by the normalcy of "doing returns." Being my frugal minimalist self, I loved that story and how relatable it makes Andrea.

Here's what we can learn from Andrea about leadership:

1. Being vulnerable makes us human; people relate to us when they see our human side. We all struggle with something, and it's OK to talk about it. Leaders often believe they shouldn't let their teams see them sweat. They must put on a brave face and hide their feelings. On the contrary, your team wants to know you are human, and you can do that without commiserating or "piling on" when people are stirring the pot.

2. Your career should be fulfilling. If you aren't doing work that makes you happy, change what you are doing.

3. Even when it seems people have it all together, they probably don't. Andrea played a quirky and confident character, but behind the scenes, she felt awkward, anxious, and unconfident. We often look at these charismatic leaders who have climbed the corporate ladder and think they have all the answers. They don't. They have their strengths, but most people struggle with insecurities in some form. This is normal, but it doesn't have to be permanent.

4. Speak up and advocate for yourself and your needs.

5. Check on your people. Really check on your people. We never truly know a person's struggles; if they are battling mental illness, they don't always know how to reach out for help. Reach out to them. Offer your hand, your ear, your heart. Care about people, not just business outcomes.

6. Setting boundaries is critical for leaders. Everyone wants a piece of your time, and it's hard to do your strategic leadership work when you are being pulled in so many directions. Andrea has been going on the NKOTB cruise for years and, with selfies being all the rage, is hunted down for endless photo opportunities. During this cruise, she set healthy selfie boundaries. The results were that she felt less like a cardboard cutout and could have many more meaningful interactions with her fans, making for a much richer and more rewarding cruise experience for her. Setting boundaries may feel hard at first, but will be critical to your success.

Leadership is about going first and modeling the behaviors you want to see from your team. Extend trust to your team so they will trust you. Know that trust requires vulnerability, so go first and be vulnerable. Andrea shows us that it's OK to be vulnerable, it's OK to ask for help, and it's OK if everything isn't perfect.

Most organizations have an Employee Assistance Program designed to support employees with mental health concerns. If you need help, please reach out and have an initial consultation. Let them point you in the right direction for support.

If you want to strengthen your leadership skills, Premier Professional Coaching offers various program options. Contact me to learn more!