Tag Archives: growth

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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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Do you have the courage to let them speak their truth?

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As most of you know, I’m in the midst of my first expat experience, meeting others, sampling the culture, tasting the food, and pondering the lessons that are coming from this experience.

Have you ever considered how much courage it takes to create a family or an organization where people are encouraged to speak and to live their truth?

For the first time ever, I’ve been pondering the wisdom and the courage of the founders of our country when they decided that EVERYONE should be allowed to speak THEIR truth.

Can you imagine creating a country where:

  •  Laws are not mandated by the titled ruler of the land but decided by a group of elected officials?
  • You are allowed to speak your truth about anything?  …Even if it is against the government?
  • You have the right to practice ANY religion you want to?

It sounds chaotic and a little insane – right?

Seriously!  …How do you get people to believe in your truth if they are given choices and allowed to use their brains, and follow their hearts?

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How to Hit A BULLSEYE in 2014!

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Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution?

I remember the first time I ever made one.  I was sixteen.  It was New Year’s Eve and I left the family party before everyone else and walked home to an empty house.

In that quiet space I did some thinking and visualized what life would be like if I changed one of my habits and then I set a personal goal.

It’s the first time I remember being so intentional and so specific about something I wanted to accomplish.

In the months that followed I was so focused on the vision that I never once gave into the temptation to break that promise to myself.

In that process I learned a valuable lesson:

[Tweet “Strategic Quiet + Commitment = BULLSEYE and JOY! @GianaConsulting”]

Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.  Thomas Carlyle

2014 is just around the corner.

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Risk, Conflict, Struggle and a Path Forward

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Last week someone asked how I was feeling about a particular topic.

I answered from the heart.   I was struggling.  I was viewing something with fresh eyes and could clearly see that years of doing something had created a comfort zone where there is risk.  Today that comfort zone is so big that unnecessary risks are being taken without a second thought.

Instead of really listening, this person attempted to explain away my concerns with something that sounded a bit like this, “We’ve always done it this way and we’ve never had a problem…”

When the conversation ended I felt like a puppy dog that had been patted on the head and dismissed.

I felt frustrated about being asked to share my thoughts, when the person asking did not demonstrate any desire to hear them.

As I was tempted to dwell on the frustration I made my mind switch gears and consider another perspective:

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5 Ways To Fire-Proof Your Character

An unexpected leadership lesson from vacation

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A few years ago my husband and I vacationed in Paris.   We went for adventure, for love, for history…  It was my first trip “across the pond” and although I was anticipating romance, joy, and the wonder of the old buildings, old streets and art.

I was NOT anticipating a leadership lesson…

Everyone recommended touring the Gardens at The Palace of Versailles. However, before we went, I did no research so I was completely unprepared for what I saw.

The gardens:

  • Are on 800 hectares, which is the equivalent of 1,976 acres of land in the United States.
  • Have over 200,000 trees and over 210,000 flowers.
  • Maze-like hedges are lined with marble statues.
  • Each path leads to one of 50 gorgeous water fountains.
  • In the middle of the gardens lies a cross-shaped Grand Canal for boating and fishing.
  • And situated on these spectacular grounds are the Palace, the Grand Trianon and Marie-Antoinette’s Estate.

Gardens at Versailles

The Gardens at The Palace of Versailles