Last week, we talked about the importance of thriving as your own person. In order to inspire others to be at their best, you must be at yours.
Sometimes, a mindset shift must be made, new habits built to support a belief that it's important to enjoy life, to enjoy work. Because:
"You were not put on this earth to work, pay bills, and die." - Les Brown
If you are only focused on your job, you will lose the perspective needed to inspire those around you whom you need in order to do your best work:
If leadership is a skill that can be developed, which I believe is true, then how do you go about it?
Here are some traits that I believe are essential for good leaders, my hope is as you read through these, you picture a scenario you've had, did you exercise some of these traits? How and if not, how could you have? How did that impact their and your work, the relationship?
Think of a time a leader showed you these traits and how that impacted you. Reflection of personal experiences will help you understand why each trait is so important.
Yesterday, in preparation for a future speaking engagement, I phoned the organizer to get some clarification on who would be in my audience. He said something that gave me pause when he offered that the group I was speaking to “were mostly not leadership types.”
His intention was not to be mean-spirited, more of a casual toss of an opinion. The specific roles this audience held were not necessarily deemed as leadership ones in that organization, simple enough. But that by no means discards them as being potential leaders or leaders amongst their inner circles.
Every person can lead. We already do in our own lives, our starting point is self-leadership:
Like any pioneer, Pixar struggled. Those able to tap into their superpowers are those able to transcend the rules. I watched The Pixar Story on Netflix this weekend. I looked forward to a unique story of this adorable powerhouse (I mean, that lamp). And the documentary delivered on that. The surprise came as I watched how Pixar became a lauded innovator.
I love being inspired. I love getting teary eyed, choked up, and goose-bumpy…truth be told, it’s not that hard to get me there .
Since I was feeling a bit nostalgic with the New Year, I compiled a list of my own. 2 leadership stories, 8 quotes, and 7 books that either leave me feeling like I can do anything, or a bit like I should be doing much, much better and to go make that happen!
I hope you feel the same…
Setting the tone for the day begins as soon as you walk through the door. What’s your vibe, how do you kick off the morning with your team? Are you rushed, rifling off your expectations for the day? If so, you may be rattling them before they’re halfway through their coffee. There’s a reason for the saying, “You get more bees with honey.” People appreciate being acknowledged as people, some connection through conversation is vital.
You're good at what you do, I have no doubt in my mind the capabilities are there. They must be for you to have gotten where you are.
I just want you to remember how much influence you have over your team. It's pretty powerful. Whether you come in with a good or bad mood will weigh heavily on their day, and ultimately, on their performance.
As Maya Angelou reminds us, "People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel."
You know what makes Jim Gaffigan so hilarious? His comedic bits relate to the simple parts of our lives, yes, but the real kicker is his delivery. The different voices, mannerisms, and narration of our own thoughts is what compounds the act into hilarity. Same goes for you. When you want to come to a resolution on something that has been a source of conflict, how you approach and deliver yourself makes all the difference.
