Have you ever caught a whiff of a smoky haze coming from down the hall? …The kind that indicates something is not quite right?
Occasionally a fire alarm even goes off, but it is quickly silenced.
…But if you follow your nose the smoke gets thicker around another titled leader’s door.
Yes – I’m asking about a titled leader that may be a level or two below you, may be your direct report, your peer or even your boss.
When we moved to The Sandbox, I promised to share our personal change journey – believing that even titled leaders are people with real lives that have only one constant in their lives… CHANGE! As expected our experiences have included examining urban legends, facing fears, laughing, crying, and crazy amounts of growth! Sometimes I hold the experience for awhile processing, healing, or trying to figure out how to share it with you. I wrote this in May of last year and stumbled on it earlier this week…
Before we moved across the ocean we really struggled with lots of decisions.
One of the biggest ones was wondering if we should bring Brutus, our 10-year-old White German Shepherd.
I was recently on a call with a friend that is dealing with at situation that is impacting her family and needs to change. She’s done everything she can think of to communicate their needs, to ask for consideration, and to influence that change but nothing seems to be happening.
As we visited I thought of a story I heard years ago about two children that were teased every day at school by a bully. In spite of their pain, their families encouraged them to be courageous, to speak truth and to be kind and loving in in their responses.
After an especially challenging day at school the two children were hurting, frustrated and discouraged.
So the little girl’s father took them on a trip to a construction site. They sat at a distance and watched as a man hammered on a large boulder. Repeatedly he hit the massive stone with no apparent results.
…And then in one sudden blow the boulder crumbled into hundreds of pieces!
The children were amazed, and wondered why that one blow broke the rock and the others didn’t.
The father explained that with each blow the rock was breaking inside – even though the exterior showed no evidence of what was happening inside.
Today we honor the life of a man who consistently modeled that change can be obtained with persistence, thought, discipline and love.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke these words AFTER his home was bombed…
We are not advocating violence. We want to love our enemies. I want you to love our enemies. Be good to them. Love them and let them know that you love them.
As we honor his life I can’t help but to think about…
Below are links to tools to help you be that change and prepare for the boulders you will face:
Image credits: iStock, Historical Stock Photos
As I reviewed my blog posts from 2014, I thought about the people and the situations that inspired each one.
And I realized that although I’ve often said that people don’t need a title to lead, I’ve said that imagining people at all levels of an organization that have a lot to contribute. (Like the often overlooked janitorial staff or frontline employees.)
This year my eyes were opened as I realized how much we talk about leadership in the workplace and how often we ignore the need for leadership in our daily lives.
Several times throughout the year, I met people with vision, talent and time that aren’t engaged in life, and aren’t as fulfilled as they could be. (Often emitting a mix of frustration and surrender.)
This week has been filled with the wrapping up of several projects, the planning of future projects, and the packing of suitcases for a much-needed break.
And in that space, I’ve been pondering the past few months.
This fall was a season of EXTREME TESTING. (Only the teacher forgot to warn me that the tests were coming so I didn’t get to study. And truthfully, I didn’t realize how much testing was occuring – until things slowed down and I paused to reflect.)
It’s worth noting that although the tests were different, one theme was repeated over and over again: When I’m under-fire ~Do I really practice what I say I believe in and write about? (A sampling of some of the tests are listed below on the left, previous articles are on the right.)
