|
By Michelle Braden, CBC
Follow me on Twitter |
@CoachingLeaders
 A few weeks ago, I taught a class at SWaMFest in Virginia titled, "Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Taken". I hoped each leader would take away the insight to identify how they wanted to be known and remembered.
One of my favorite quotes is, "if you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up some place else." This is true in many facets of life. It is also true with your leadership identity. If you asked your direct reports or your peers to describe you and your leadership, would the answer reflect the leadership identity you desire? What is your leadership reputation? What do you want your leadership reputation to be?
I encourage you to stop right now (if you do not do it now you will most likely not do it at all). Identify how you want to be known as a leader. Now, take the next step and write it out. Determine what you want your identity to look like now, and in the future. What do you want your legacy to be? Whom do you want it to affect?
This is an imperative exercise for a leader to follow through on. It is interesting how human nature works. Once you identify something, put it out there. The law of attraction has a way of taking over.
The last step is accountability. I hope you have a group of people that are able to speak into your life. It could be a family member, a friend, colleague, mentor or coach. Whomever that person may be, give them a copy of how you have distinguished, "how you will be known" in your leadership style. Ask them to hold you accountable. When you are not "walking the talk" you have created for yourself, give them permission to bring this to your attention.
This is powerful stuff! MSBCoach specializes in leadership development. One of the dimensions of leadership we focus on is self-awareness. How you want to be known as a leader is a part of self-awareness. If you are interested in learning more to grow yourself and/or your team in leadership, please contact us at info@msbcoach.com or visit our site at www.msbcoach.com.
By Seth Godin Make a decision
It does not have to be a wise decision or a perfect one. Just make one.
In fact, make several. Make more decisions could be your three-word mantra.
No decision is a decision as well, the decision not to decide. Not deciding is usually the wrong decision. If you are the go-to person, the one who can decide, you will make more of a difference. It does not matter so much that you are right, it matters that you decided.
Of course, it's risky and painful. That's why it's a rare and valuable skill.
By Seth Godin
The Rule of High School
Any sufficiently overheated industry will eventually resemble high school. High school is filled with insecurity, social climbing, backbiting, false friends, faux achievements, high drama and not much content. Much of this insecurity comes from a market that doesn't make good judgments, that doesn't understand how to reliably choose between alternatives. So it turns into a popularity contest.
As Tom Hanks reportedly said, "Hollywood is like high school, but with money."
Or the fashion magazine industry, which is high school but with more makeup.
Add to that the Internet, which is like high school but with a modem.
Or Twitter, which is high school but only 140 characters at a time.
As in high school, the winners are the ones who don't take it too seriously and understand what they're trying to accomplish. Get stuck in the never ending drama (worrying about what irrelevant people think) and you'll never get anything done. The only thing worse than coming in second place in the race for student council president is... winning.
Check out our new site!
Visit us today!
Leading from Passion and Self-awareness.
What you will take away:
- An understanding of Authentic Leadership and what it means to you.
- Self-discovery and heightened self-awareness.
- Reconnection with your passion in ways that will revitalize your business relationships and decisions.
- A new sense of freedom through being your true self across all areas of your life.
- A support team to empower you to grow beyond what you can be on your own.
- Knowledge of how your life story affects your leadership.
- An understanding of your personal values and principles and how you lead according to them.
- A working familiarity with how are you motivated intrinsically & extrinsically.
- The ability to empower others to become authentic leaders.
Led by Leadership Coaches Michelle Braden and Elizabeth Swider. See www.msbcoach.com
6-session program beginning January 21, 2010
in Charlottesville, Virginia
meetings every other week
Cost: $350 per participant
Discovery reception to meet the course leaders and other potential group members:
January 14, 2010 6:00pm – 8:00pm.
Location To Be Announced.
RSVP to Elizabeth at 434.989.0593 or eswider.msbcoach@gmail.com.
|
