Tag Archives: Change

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The single best way to develop leaders: Throw them in!

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I read the book The Dream Giver  years ago.  And like most of my books it is underlined, highlighted, corners bent back, and notes filling the margins.

The quote below comes from that book and is one of the quotes that I frequently refer to:

  • Partially because I want people to feel nurtured and supported and I struggled with the idea of just throwing people in over their head.
  • And partially because the quote inspires me to think of what is possible each time someone is in over their head!

…And then one day this quote fit every part of my life, personally and professionally.  In that setting, this quote gave me hope and encouragement in the midst of a very confusing, lonely, painful, scary, and growth-filled time!

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Earlier this week I shared this quote with three women that I knew this would resonate with.

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What’s Outside of Your Comfort Zone?

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If we know each other, or if you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I deeply believe in the benefits of living life outside of your comfort zone.  I can tell you endless stories about why that is the case, but you might not have that much time… So here’s one:

A few years ago I went on a business trip.   At the end of a day of meetings we went to a video arcade, where we were divided into teams.  The goal was for each one of us to play the same games  and at the end of the night, the team with the highest score would win.

Instantly a tornado of emotions and thoughts began to spiral:

  1. The first one was RAW FEAR, fueled by the historical pain of gym class.  I was as “girly” as they came and was great at avoiding pain, sweating, and dirt!  So I was frequently one of the last to be chosen for any sport that involved those three elements.  (Big ouch!)
  2. The second was a deep desire to add value to the team, fueled by a fiercely competitive spirit.
  3. The third was a conscious choice to turn this into an adventure, fueled by my husband’s repeated requests to learn to enjoy some of this world.
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6 Lessons From Change Ready Kids: On Life Outside of “Normal”

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Do you know anyone that is struggling with a change in his or her lives right now?  Do you know any organizations that are in the midst of extreme change and sinking instead of swimming?  Are you aware that 3 of the top 10 Critical Human Capital Issues for 2013 are CHANGE related?

A series of events in our expat journey has convinced me that anyone that has grown up as an expat child has developed wisdom and skills that will help others navigate change.  So I asked a couple of friends to share their experiences.  (Special Thanks To:  Amy Murphy & Lynette Elrod Hudson for sharing their stories!)

After hearing their stories, 6 lessons stand out:

1.  Provide vision and stability in the midst of extreme change.

“When we moved to a new country, my dad would go ahead and scope things out and then come back with great stories of what he had found. Sometimes he would be gone a month or two as he started a new job and found a house and we finished that year in school, so when he got home we were just happy to go wherever it was to be together.”  Lynette

479757_10151689092104766_952536038_n2.  Form relationships with people based on their character, not the color of their skin …Or the shape of their face!

“The first time I realized that people of different races looked different was in 3rd grade.  (I’d been an expat child since I was two.)  I thought my classmate had a flat face and I asked, “Why?”  Amy

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I DARE YOU: To Be The Change YOU Want To See

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Yesterday morning I had a conversation with a close friend who is very angry about a couple of situations in her life.  As we spoke I was reminded of something I learned years ago…

[Tweet “Anger covers pain. “]

Think about that for a minute.  If you have been deeply hurt and never been given the opportunity to be really heard and understood, it is naturally tempting become angrier and to begin to think and talk and act like a victim.  If you give into that temptation, it becomes even more tempting to consistently look for new evidence to support your anger.

There is so much at stake if you give in:

  1. Anger Grows
  2. Anger Consumes
  3. Anger Assumes The Worst
  4. Anger Breeds Negativity
  5. Anger Saps Joy
  6. Anger Kills Peace
  7. Anger Threatens Your Health
  8. Anger Alienates and Divides

Worst of All:  Anger Spreads and Infects Others