Tag Archives: Comfort Zone

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Feb. 2014 Leadership Development Blog Carnival: What Great Leaders Do

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Leadership Development Blog CarnivalI’m honored to host Dan McCarthy’s Leadership Development Blog Carnival this month.

January ended with MLK Day.  This month we honor Washington and Lincoln.  So when Dan and I reached out to our leadership networks, we asked bloggers to share posts about what great leaders do, posts that highlight vision, passion, courage, commitment and even a willingness to sacrifice their very lives to create a legacy of change.

24 Leadership Guru’s responded with stories, inspiration and tangible ideas to help each of us to lead at a higher level.  …And while we don’t all agree on where to stand on specific issues, we emphatically agree on what it takes to lead well.  Below each post is a quote from that contributor so you can easily share on Twitter!

In this post What Makes The Great Great, John Spence shares Nine Principles of Extraordinary Achievement.  The leaders we mentioned above lived these principles.  Do you?

[Tweet “Live a life of honesty and integrity. Your reputation is really all you have. via @AwesomelySimple “] 

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We’ve walked into paralyzing fears and become stronger.

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We’re doctors, nurses, schoolteachers, writers, actresses, artists, musicians, hair-stylists, yoga teachers, economists, consultants…

We’re red, and yellow, black and white and every color you can imagine.

We’re in our 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and yes even in our 70’s!

Some of us are newlyweds, some are new mothers, some are raising teenagers, some have four-legged furry-children, and others have grandchildren.

We’re Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu…

Some of us have husbands home each night, while others navigate the new lands we live in while our spouses travel or are offshore for weeks at a time.

We’re not just “Trailing Spouses” – We’re real people that have been “Thrown In” and instead of being destroyed by the pressure of constant change and the unknown we’re transforming.

[Tweet “We’re The Real Housewives of Expat Men”]

Agents of Change iStockLast week I announced a new blog series about Expat Wives in this post:   

Uncommon and EXTRAordinary Agents of Change  

This is the first story in the series.  

  • It’s written to encourage anyone in the midst of change.
  • It’s written for everyone that loves an adventure.
  • It’s written to remind Recruiters and Hiring Managers that in order to find Diamonds you have to mine for them.
  • It’s written challenge companies that hire expats to evaluate their processes.
  • And most of all it’s written with a grateful heart and in honor of the women I’ve met on my journey.

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When Comfort Zones become Cliques – Leadership Quakes

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Leaders are human and surrounded by temptations to be comfortable. [Tweet “What happens when a titled leader struggles to stand alone? Leadership Quakes @GianaConsulting”] What happens when work friendships become so comfortable they become a clique? It can impact your growth, your credibility and the growth of your organization. How do you know when your comfort zone is holding you and your organization back?

When comfort zones become cliques: Leadership Quakes
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Help for Navigating Change: From Invisible to Making an Impact

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imagesOn November 29th of last year I wrote a post-titled Comfort or Magic?  Go?  Stay?  Stay?  Go?

What I did not say in the post is that the days prior had been filled with that question as we tried to decide if we had the courage to make a move across the world to a land that sounded stressful, backward, emotionally challenging and dangerous.

A few weeks later we “came out of the closet” and shared what we were doing and why. And for the past year I’ve included lots of our expat stories in this blog.

  • Yes – part of the reason was to share the adventure and the learning’s as they unfolded.
  • However, a bigger reason for sharing the journey is that CHANGE PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN OUR PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL LIVES and even though it is the only constant in our lives… People struggle with it all of the time. 

Did you know that CHANGE was listed in three of the top 10 Human Capital Issues for 2013?  And Numero Uno on the list was Managing and Coping with Change? (The truth of that statement was evidenced when we hosted a Lead Change Event In Tulsa Titled,” Leading in The Midst of Change” and we had our largest turnout.)

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Head, Gut or Fear: Which one do you listen to?

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Shortly after one of our many moves, I was asked to serve on a local board.  One of the board members that I got to spend a lot of time with was a smart, energetic woman that ran a local literacy coalition.

Each one of us brought different knowledge, experiences and strengths to our conversations but we shared a vision and a passion.

After one of our long meetings of turning over rocks, looking at squiggly things underneath them, and brainstorming solutions, she made the comment that when we spent time together it felt more like playing than work.  (I felt the same way.)

Isn’t it awesome when you can pour energy into something, think deeply, challenge yourself or learn something new that several hours later instead of feeling tired you feel energized, focused and hopeful?