Inspiring Leadership Greatness
Today’s visual was inspired by a provocative blog that suggested leaders fall into two main styles when leading change. While I’m not sure about there only being two styles, what I do agree with is the notion that we need to figure out our style and remain true to that.
While out walking on the beach a month ago, I ran across this fallen tree with the most amazing gnarly roots. It reminded me of the complexity of interpersonal communications on some teams. We sometimes need a lot of patience to unravel issues and get back on the same page.
I’m teaching a teams workshop with the University of Alberta today, and inevitably someone talks about being on a team that goes sideways. What I find fascinating is that most times people know something has been brewing but thought it would just “blow over.” Trust me, it never does. It takes courage to surface issues and may feel uncomfortable but that is a whole lot better than dealing with the broken trust that happens after things blow up.
Having a powerful vision is one of the defining characteristics of leaders, especially when it comes to leading teams. While devoting time to creating understanding among team members about your vision is important, regularly checking in with and creating alignment is even more important. Regularly check in with the vision through asking the following:
This blog is based on the 3 of hearts from our Teamwork Explorer cards.
While Valentine’s Day is the quintessential couple’s day, I think it’s also a great day to treat ourselves well. It’s more likely we’ll inspire others when we are feeling terrific about ourselves, and this comes with the care and feeding of our own souls.
I think this says it all. There are just some days when nothing seems to work, but after some yoga or meditation, a brisk walk, a good sleep, a good laugh, or even a short break, most problems become manageable. It just takes some perspective to get out of making a habit of downward spiral thinking.
What more to say about today’s blog? It’s difficult to hang onto a bad mood when you play your favourite high energy music (mine is disco 😉 and dance like no one is watching!
The random acts of kindness movement has been around for some time, and, given this is BC’s first ever Family Day, it seems right to focus on it. Have a great day everyone!
Today’s happiness practice is one of the more challenging ones for me. I’m a bit of a glass half empty kind of gal and my default is to see (or even make up!) negatives in any situation. Reframing things in a positive way, while challenging at times, is a practice that has made a big difference in my life.
Continuing yesterday’s theme of happiness as central to leadership, today’s practise is a daily walk. And today is a most amazing day here in Victoria to do just that!
