Tag Archives: Leadership

Posted on

What special needs families taught me about comfort zones

by

 

47906_1599960796911_2516960_n

 

A few years ago my sister adopted a 3-year old little boy that was born addicted to meth.  He had been in and out of foster homes, diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome, had abandonment issues and could not speak.

That sister lives in another state and I don’t get to see her often.  When we spoke about her new son’s challenges,  the challenges the family faced, and the special moments they were beginning to experience… I found myself wanting to I understand more.

Shortly after the adoption, I moved to a new city and met a family with an adult daughter with cognitive challenges.

It was at that time that I realized that although I was always mentally supportive of families and children with special needs and nice to them, I was also uncomfortable simply because I did not know how to fully engage with them.  Was it okay to ask questions?  Or would that be offensive?  What behavior did you need to accept and love and what behavior should you coach and correct?

Posted on

The Secret Sauce: Social Media and Networking

by

How often do you play video games?  What is the first thing you do when you are playing a new game?

When I sit down to play a new game that is filled with scenery and objectives, every part of my being wants to explore and experiment.  I’m curious how far I can wander before the screen freezes; I want to see where the path leads; I’m in awe of the creativity of the designers, and I want to know what happens when I push certain buttons!  (I drive my husband crazy, because he wants to achieve as much as possible as quickly as possible!)

In the debate about Social Media and business, some say it is the future and it must be explored!  Others say it is a source of information and connections and a critical marketing tool.   While another group says it is a waste of time, a risk and that it must be tightly controlled!

Posted on

“With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility!”

by

[Tweet “With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility”]

Does this quote resonate with you as loudly as it resonates with me?  I think it is hard-wired into my DNA.  I believe it so much that sometimes I’ve assumed it was self-evident to everyone around me. So, if someone had a title and they were not using their power to serve others I judged them harshly.  (Not something I am proud of, but it’s true.)

Eventually, I had a powerful head smacking moment (visualizing the old V8 ads) and realized:  

Posted on

Being a Leader Means Understanding…

by

(Originally posted on The Be A Leader Blog…)

Has life ever handed you a hurricane of change that took you to your knees? And every time you started to stand another storm hit? A few years ago my husband and I were hit with several seasons of hurricanes. (Some literal, most figurative.) In the midst of lots of change that we had no control over, I was desperate to be in control of something! So I accepted a marketing position that I knew would challenge me and that I could learn from, even though there was a lot about the position I knew I would not enjoy.

One of my first challenges was to learn to drive a club-cab pickup truck and a 28-foot long trailer through traffic in the 4th largest city in the United States! (Let me be clear – I am as girly as they come and I don’t get a kick out of driving a car, much less a truck!)

On the flip side, my husband is completely comfortable with that world and he knows me well. He was fully aware that this thing that I’d agreed to do had many potential downsides including having an accident! He understood that I am a visual learner and that I needed to see the big picture before details would make sense.

Leaders understandSo he made a trip to the store and came home with a toy truck and trailer. He then grabbed some flip chart paper and drew a multiple lane road with a 4-way traffic stop and a parking lot. He put the paper on the floor, and had me drive the truck and trailer up and down the road, around the corners, and back it into parking spaces. Each time he helped me identify all the potential dangers like driving over curbs, hitting other cars, and considering how much time it takes to slow down, or stop that much weight!

Posted on

Perseverance: A lesson from my childhood hero!

by

When I was in elementary school I was EXTREMELY fascinated with this man’s life, and his contributions to our world.  So much so that when my classmates were ordering posters of movie stars, I ordered posters of him.  When my family drove to Disney World in Florida from North Dakota, the greatest event on the trip was a surprise visit to his birthplace!

As an adult, my co-workers gave me a beautiful gift from Successories with this man’s image and the quote below. Today I honor his birthday by sharing some of the lessons about perseverance, character, courage and leadership that I’ve learned from a man I’ve never met…

He FAILED in business in ’31.

He was DEFEATED for State Legislator in ’32.

He tried another business in ’33.  It FAILED.

His fiancée died in ’35.

He had a nervous BREAKDOWN in ’36.