Archive for November, 2009
Gratitude is the healthiest of emotions…
Zig Ziglar said this at at seminar I attended where he was speaking. He said it was first stated by Thomas Jefferson. The quote has stuck with me. I know when I am feeling really happy, gratitude easily shows up. When I am feeling a bit blue, I start thinking about what I am grateful for and the blues seem to dissipate.
Gratitude is a healthy emotion, I do agree. And so with Thanksgiving just a day away, I am very grateful for all the people in my life… clients, friends and family! It is with much gratitude that I say may you have a lovely and Happy Thanksgiving!
When did you know you were an Executive Leader?
I came across this article “The Moment I Finally Felt Like An Executive” by David Silverman and thought you would enjoy it. It’s fun to have aha moments… to be very present to what is happening right now, this very moment and realize that it is important. I remember sitting in my newly opened office in Mexico City with the warm sun beaming in the windows and realizing, after speaking to several of my bosses back in the States, that what I had achieved in opening the Mexico City Office was important; that alot of people, both in the US and Mexico, were depending on its success…
It was a moment to remember in my leadership journey. What was one of your aha moments?
Are You Focused on Your Strengths?
“Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong… And yet, a person can perform only from strength.” – Business guru Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005)
“Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong… And yet, a person can perform only from strength.” – Business guru Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005)
As many of you who already subscribe to my Leadership Power Tips know, one of my favorite books is Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton. When coaching my clients, we talk a lot about Strengths and seek to gain clarity on what theirs’ are. I just completed reviewing my Strengths after reading Strengths Finder 2.0, the upgraded version by Tom Rath. The goal of Gallup Management and the authors “was to start a global conversation about what’s right with people.”
Leadership and Change
We all have heard the saying – The only thing constant is change – and yet for so many people change is very difficult. I wonder… is it because we really don’t believe this; because we have a fear of the unknown; because we hate to see a good thing come to an end? When is it we embrace change?
Over the last 18 months, I coached many employees, managers and executives in a very dynamic environment where growth was happening very fast to, unfortunately, where decline rapidly took hold and seemed to spiral out of control. After hiring almost 70 people and watching them enthusiastically take on the launch of a new program, I was several months later laying off all the people I hired plus many more. I witnessed hope, contribution and commitment and then despair, fear and anger.
Are you bored with your current role?
Well are you? Now be honest!
I have come to learn that when I begin reading a lot and when I begin seeking out training courses, I am ready for a change. And usually a big one! That is how it has been for me since March of this year. I have been actively involved in several training courses and have read… let me count…11 books. Wow, I even surprised myself by how many I have read in a few short months time. I will have to share with you which ones are the best… check out TheLeadershipResource.com/Leadership-Books.php
Are You Modeling Self-Empowerment?
When was the last time you said “I don’t know” in front of your employees? (Out loud so someone would hear it.)
When was the last time you shared something new that you learned? (Not acting as if you had known it all along.)
As a leader, we must model self-empowerment. This is a small step to creating an environment where not knowing everything and learning are accepted. I love hearing bosses tell their employees what they learned from a customer, co-worker or another employee, or what new tool they are using to improve their effectiveness. Employees then begin to wonder what they should be learning.
Just recently, I have begun learning sign language so I can more effectively communicate with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It is very exciting to be learning a new language and also very humbling to have to ask people to slow down and repeat the signs so I can understand. It shows my vulnerability; yet persistence. One of my employees has already come to me to discuss what she should be learning and figuring out what would be the next opportunity for her. She said you have me thinking in new ways about my own job.
