Have you ever:

• Participated in conversations about the behavior of certain titled leaders?
• Expressed frustration at situations that seem corrupt, not in line with core values or unfair?
• Wondered why opportunities to problem solve and improve the future were not taken?

Have you ever spoken these words, “Why doesn’t “someone” do something?”  

When the change you want to see isn’t happening “out there”… 

“ What if, YOU are “the someone” that everyone is waiting for?

Below are 21 Reasons that it might be time for YOU to Take Action:

AT WORK – Do YOU see opportunities to:

1. Decrease silos
2. Increase employee engagement and retention
3. Increase customer satisfaction
4. Reduce expenses
5. Reduce risk
6. Limit layoffs
7. Increase profit

IN YOUR COMMUNITY – Do YOU see opportunities to:

1. Build stronger relationships
2. Work together on a shared vision
3. Increase involvement
4. Communicate more effectively
5. Improve the quality of life
6. Increase safety
7. Create a stronger future

IN YOUR NATION – Do YOU see opportunities to:

1. Increase ownership
2. Improve accountability
3. Improve collaboration
4. Grow trust
5. Decrease inefficiency and waste
6. Improve results
7. Make the vision a reality

If you see any of those opportunities.  If you’ve ever said those words.  Who are you waiting for? 

Yes it takes courage to lead up, but…

“ If not YOU, then WHO? #LeadChange

I am convinced that most of the answers workplaces, communities and nations are seeking today are lying dormant inside of their employees, customer and suppliers. …Just waiting to be discovered and unleashed.

Learn More About Leading Up Here

I was facilitating a workshop for students. The goal was to help everyone identify the bubbles they live in, and to encourage them to strategically pop those bubbles.

I asked questions that encouraged laughter:

• What is the craziest food you have ever eaten? Answers varied from peas to snake… (Yes for some of us, eating vegetables is crazy!)

Then questions that would help them think about their courage:

• When was the last time you stood up to a bully? Answers varied from never to yesterday.

And then questions to facilitate deeper thinking:

• When was the last time that you tried to understand someone else’s point of view, before sharing your own…?

Their teacher is dedicated, wise, fun, energetic, very compassionate and constantly models that learning is for everyone.  She laughed and encouraged the entire process.

When she said the last time she stood up to a bully was two days earlier – Some of her students were surprised that even adults have to stand up to bullies.  Others were simply inspired.

A few minutes later, I reminded all of the students that one of the habits of highly effective people is seeking to understand someone else’s point of view (POV), before sharing your own.  Their teacher processed that quickly and shared that she doesn’t think she has ever done that. …And then I was inspired.

• Their teacher modeled vulnerability, courage, learning and growth
• Showing her students that it is healthy to identify and pop our own bubbles
• Emphasizing that whatever change we want to see in the world begins with ourselves

Now fast forward several weeks.

Our International Conversation Safari Participants were discussing harassment and culture.

We compared experiences and the norms in different size business, different types of businesses, different states, and in the countries each one of us is from.

Then considered times that that cultural differences have made us feel uncomfortable.  And agreed that most cultural differences are explainable and excusable until someone voices their discomfort with a cultural norm.

Emphasizing that the moment someone says they are uncomfortable we have three choices:

1. To can stay in our own bubbles and defend our culture
2. To attempt to pop other people’s bubbles by getting angry
3. Or to pop our own bubbles by reaching out, listening and seeking first to understand

The first two options are easy choices that make us part of the problem.

The third option takes more time and energy but makes highly effective solutions possible.

“ When was the last time you deeply considered someone else’s POV before you shared your own?

This is a piece of a puzzle.

-A PIECE of something greater than itself.

This piece is important.

-Without it, the picture is INCOMPLETE.

This piece is filled with critical clues about the WHOLE picture.

-But it will never be able to tell the story alone.

Each piece must be heard.

-But must NOT be the only perspective we consider.

ONE piece emphasizes:

My team

My budget

My knowledge

My experiences

My perspectives

My goals

-ME!

SEVERAL pieces provide more clues:

-But still fail to tell the whole story.

Our corner – Our people

Our side – Our needs

-Are more important than yours.

When ALL the pieces start asking:

Where are we going?

What do you see?

What do you know?

How can we help each other?

The picture becomes clear.

-And each piece becomes WHOLE.

A brilliant woman that has been actively serving her community for years – is well known and highly regarded. In spite of that, she will occasionally admit that she struggles with imposter syndrome.

Another woman has chosen to share many of her golden years volunteering in several political roles. She is quick to emphasize how little she knew about politics when she got involved, and how much more she has to learn. In spite of all she doesn’t know, she is often surprised when people all across her state know her name and are recognizing her knowledge and contributions.

Here’s what both ladies don’t realize:

• It is their curiosity that continually fuels their learning.
• And as their knowledge continues to increase they are sharing passion and information with skill AND humility – a combination that earns both of them great respect while inspiring others.

There’s this basic circuit in the brain that energizes people to go out and get things that are intrinsically rewarding,  this circuit lights up when we get money, or candy. It also lights up when we’re curious.  –Dr. Charan Ranganath

On the flip side of being curious there are those that think they know all they need to know and have stopped exploring.

They are:

• Titled leaders that smell smoke within their organizations – but fail to follow it to the source.
• Those that form an opinion and refuse to consider another perspective. (Even if their opinions are based on a lifetime of what they’ve always done instead of on new information, trends or markets.)
• Leaders of companies that continue to lay people off – year after year after year.
• People that forward images and headlines on Social Media without reading the articles or investigating alternate sources of information – while expressing concern about the division in our world.

“ Strangely, being someone who ‘knows’ can interfere with being someone who ‘learns’. —MATTHEW D. LIEBERMAN PH.D.

Read more.

Those that prioritize curiosity over knowledge:

1. Have more fun
2. Seek the truth
3. Confront brutal facts
4. Learn faster
5. Acquire more knowledge
6. Are more humble
7. Build stronger relationships
8. Uncover root causes
9. Solve bigger problems
10. Make a greater difference

“ The humble keep their notebooks open, because they believe they can learn something from everyone. —CAREY NIEUWHOF

Read more.

How about you…

• Have you ever allowed your knowledge to kill your curiosity?
• How did that impact your joy, learning, relationships, growth or impact?
• Is it time to make a change?

“Chery, have you shared your vision with your team?”

I gulped and my mind raced…  Oh no!  I’m supposed to have one of those?  (My mind quickly visualized the formal vision statements that are printed and hung on the wall for all to see.)  As I exited the boardroom, I wandered down the hallway wondering what a vision was and how to get one FAST!

What I did not realize immediately is that I had already pieced together many critical elements in a vision building process:

• I knew what the company goals and objectives were for my team.
• I knew what the company vision was.
• I knew what the company core values were.
• I knew that I wanted to create a customer focused, result focused, fun place to work that would provide an opportunity for every person to bring their own personalities, knowledge, experiences and natural strengths to work every day.
• And I deeply believed that if the team were given the right environment they would achieve amazing things.

Several days later I gathered everyone together and shared the question our CEO had asked.  And then shared this story:   

“We are on a journey together.  We are going to a majestic castle.  It is so far away that I can’t describe it in detail, but on a clear day, the towers and flags that are billowing in the distance are evidence that it exists.  As we journey toward the castle together, we are going to experience new lands, slay dragons, and cross rivers.  Sometimes we will be afraid.  Sometimes we will disagree.  Sometimes we will have more fun than we can imagine.  The journey is whatever we make of it, it is ours to own, ours to experience, ours to celebrate.”  

Then we reviewed the organization’s vision and core values, the department’s objectives and the desire to create a customer focused, fun environment that would embrace and unleash their individual strengths while building a strong team. The castle became the symbol for our goals. The foundation of the castle became the symbol of our core values. The journey served as a dual reminder that:

• We were on an adventure together and that we needed to be curious, joyful and courageous.
• No matter how prepared we were there would be times of challenge, defeat and loss, as well as times of discovery, growth, uncommon camaraderie and victory.

Vision expert Jesse Lyn Stoner and Leadership Guru Ken Blanchard wrote in their book Full Steam Ahead:

…We have observed that the biggest impediment to managers becoming great leaders is the lack of a clear vision. Yet less than 10 percent of the organizations we have visited are lead by managers who have a clear sense of where they are trying to lead people.

By consistently focusing everyone on that vision:  Team-members brought their unique personalities and strengths to the job.  They took ownership of their goals and ownership of opportunities to add value outside of their job descriptions.  They laughed and played a lot.  Sometimes they argued like siblings.   They met and then exceeded their objectives.  They consistently found new ways to do things that added significant value to the organization as a whole.

…And it all started with a simple question that every leader should consistently be asking themselves…

[Tweet “Have you shared your vision with your team?”]

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Additional articles you may be interested in:

1. 5 Reasons Curious Leadership Will Strengthen Your Organization
2. Together You Stand, Divided You Fall
3. Strong Organizational Foundations Are Rooted In Timeless Truth
4. 7 Reasons Your Organization Should Take The Air Out Of Its Tires
5. Full Steam Ahead Book Review

As we’ve been preparing for this transition, I’ve reached out to several people that have experience living outside of their home country.  Those conversations have been inspiring, thought provoking and filled with insights that apply to life, not just international moves.

As you read through their quotes, think about your life right now.  What stands out?  You are invited to share your stories and your learnings at the bottom of this post!

~

Janet George – Lived in 5 countries outside of the United States.

When we spoke, Janet emphasized that she never imagined a life like this and that with every move she was consistently filled with apprehension before the move and always sad each time they left.

Pearls from Janet:

• “Take it for what it is.”
• “Jump in with both feet!”
• “Make more friends, be more social!”
• “Travel as much as possible.”
• “Don’t be afraid to share if something is getting you down.”

After we hung up the phone she sent me this message, “Remember that you are an ambassador for your country, so try to remember that in your travels.”

~

William Powell – Is in the midst of his 3^rd expat adventure.

William emphasized that living in various cultures has taught him to be more self-aware.

What he loves the most:

• “Brilliant stories.”
• “Being reminded, how small I am and how great humanity is.”

The hardest part of every move has been:

• “Putting up with people that don’t think like I do. “

His biggest learning:

• I am selfish, narcissistic, and want things my way.

His advice:

• Live in the moment.  If you are always wishing for a better moment, you will wish away today.

My favorite quote from William, “Every culture/nation has something beautiful and something vile.”  

~

Alli Polin – Is several months into her 1st expat experience.

Alli emphasized that when she chose to be positive instead of focusing on what could be, she got over the fear.

Her biggest challenges:

• “Making this my home.”
• “Having a career in the U.S.  …I still have a career but I am recalibrating.  I am working with clients differently, doing more virtuallly and working different hours because of the time difference.”

Her advice:

• “Bring the things that are special to you.”
• “Commit to building your own community.”
• “Stop worrying about the chats or what’s on Google or in the news reports.  Go out and form your own opinions.”
• “Worry about the right stuff – what does and does not matter.”

When Alli shared her two biggest challenges, she asked me, to consider, “What if this move was not temporary?”  I had such a gut-kick that I think I gasped out loud.  Then her question resonated loudly and I wondered if it is possible to bring my whole-heart to this experience if I am counting the days until I can go back to the familiar…

And on the note of familiar:  Both women emphasized how tempting it is to cling to what you know, even with food!  (Imagine vacation suitcases filled with Velveeta cheese or learning to make your first pumpkin pie from scratch because you can’t buy canned pumpkin and it is Thanksgiving!!!  …And yes, I am already guilty of making sure I can get Dove dark chocolate in our new home!)

As you look through their collective wisdom, what stands out to you?  Why?

One thing rises to the top for me.  Can you guess what that is?  

THANK YOU Janet George, Alli Polin, and William Powell for sharing your experiences!

Photo Credits:  iStockPhoto