A picture is worth a thousand words.
You are welcome to download the leadership image quotes below and share them!
[Tweet “The path to the castle is often not so clear. Have you shared your vision with your team?”]
[Tweet “If we are convinced we are speaking the truth, why are we so afraid to listen to someone else’s truth? “]
[Tweet “Look deeper and SEE people for WHO they really are, not just at how they appear.”]
[Tweet “Without a vision, people and organizations really do perish! “]
[Tweet “How often do you take a drive outside of your comfort zone?”]
[Tweet “Leaving your comfort zone will always make you feel weak and small.”]
[Tweet “Brokenness can serve as a catalyst to humble us and make us whole. “]
[Tweet “Repeat your message and model the behavior you would like to see! (21x)”]
Last year I kicked off this blog just before the Anniversary of 9-11-2001 and included some of our story from that day that none of us will ever forget.
Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward and freedom will be defended. President Bush
At that time, I had no idea that I would be spending this year’s anniversary of that occasion in a big sandbox on the other side of the world.
All of a sudden there were people screaming. I saw people jumping out of the building. Their arms were flailing. I stopped taking pictures and started crying. Michael Walters
Yesterday, I sat in a room filled with American Expats, some of which have lived in this sandbox for more than 20 years, some more than 10 years, and many in the less than five year category. (And yes – those of us in the less than 5 year category are holding tightly to our 3- year commitment!)
During the gathering my friend, Jan Hibler shared why this group means so much to her and emphasized how much harder life was here 12 years ago. (If you’ve been following my expat stories – you know that life here is a challenge today, so imagining even more constraints just adds exclamation marks to those stories.)
And then that day came when the planes hit and while we were focused on what was going on in America, this is small taste of what life was like for the people here…
I’ve included several personal articles about a move overseas to a location that is often harshly judged and feared because:
- Because I LOVE leading change.
- Three years of our lives were filled with continuous unwanted change. …So much so that it was like being hit with enormous waves, each one would knock us down, we would stand again, and another would hit. It was such a confusing and painful time that to this day tears surface when I think about it. When the waves stopped crashing there was not much about our lives that looked the same. And then the transformation within us began.
- Because individuals and organizations need direction and encouragement as they navigate their own seasons of change. (Did you know that year after year, Critical Human Capital Issues continue to be change related?)
My hope is:
- That by sharing the details and the emotions of our expat journey that you or someone you love will find encouragement for whatever you are in the midst of.
- That you will be reminded that you are not alone in the struggle to navigate change.
- That you will find inspiration and answers for the changes you are navigating.
- That when you are ready, you will help others by sharing your story!
When we were asked to make this move I imagined that life would look and feel as brown and desolate as the image below.
This is our journey:
November 2012 – As we contemplated the decision but did not tell anyone I wrote this post:
December 2012 – After we made the decision to go, and the reality started to set in but we could not yet share what was happening I wrote this post:
When we were finally able to share what we were doing with the world these words became our vision:
As we prepared for the journey:
April – June 2013 – The first 3 months:
July – September 2013 – The second trimester:
October – December 2013 – The third trimester:
A vacation in Jordan proved it is possible to turn unwanted change into an adventure.
Jan 2014: A series honoring “The Real Housewives of Expat Men”
The rest of 2014: More powerful leadership and life lessons
2015: Lessons are always there if you want to learn!
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose feeling is to risk exposing your true self. To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd, is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure.
But risk MUST be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave; he has forfeited freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.
Image Credits: iStock & Personal
My Grandfather was a WWII Battle of the Bulge Veteran and although his nature was to accept whatever life handed him and to move on, the memories of the brokenness and devastation that the war created left a shadow of questions that haunted him.
For years he did his best to cope, while raising a large family and tending to a farm. When his youngest grandchildren started asking about the war he found some healing by sharing stories with family and fellow veterans, but the questions themselves remained.
In 2004, 60 years after the battle he accompanied a number of veterans back to those battlefields. Considering the devastation of the homes, the cities and the lives that were directly impacted by the battles, grandpa was not sure what kind of a welcome they would receive. Much to his surprise, everywhere they went they were treated as heroes!
I recently sat down and created a list of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned so far, in life and in leadership.
Seven of those lessons stand out as lessons that are critically important to share. (And each one links to a resource or a post with more detail!)
- Your calling can become your idol if you let it.
- Without a vision people and organizations really do perish.
- Leaving your comfort zone will always make you feel weak and small.
- Every human has feet of clay, complete trust and confidence should only be placed in God.
- The critical balance of compassion and accountability.
- How to forgive, even when the act seems unforgivable.
- Brokenness creates humility. Thankfulness sustains humility.
How about you… [Tweet “What are the most powerful life and leadership lessons you’ve learned so far?”]
