No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings.
Tag Archives: Leadership
Invitation 2013: Will you lead from who YOU are?
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Have you checked out our NEW POST on the Lead Change Group Blog?
Imagine:
- What it would be like to grow up in a family that is always behind on their bills.
- To live in a home that could be featured on the television program HOARDERS.
- To have your home burn to the ground and lose everything when you were in grade-school.
- Then live in a home without an indoor bathroom through high school.
- Being diagnosed with bi-polar, manic depressive disorder before you were 20.
- Getting hit one night by your boyfriend and leaving with your car and your clothes.
- Becoming a single mom and going through a bankruptcy.
For Angie, all of this was a reality. She was living a life of chaos with very few calm, safe, hopeful moments. She describes herself as insecure, someone with a chip on her shoulder, and a bully. She emphasizes never being taught to budget, being embarrassed to bring friends home, and trying to escape her reality by forming relationships that many times became the cause of more pain.
When I first met Angie I did not know any of these stories. I found her because she is a hairstylist with an online presence and great reviews. (When you are new to a city, you look for both!) In our first meeting I complimented her on her online presence and she quickly spoke of her “Marketing Director, Miss Connie. ”
What follows is a quick look into the lives of two extraordinary women that have been transformed because they have chosen to do what they can, with what they have, right where they are. Read more here.
COURAGE ~ The testing point of every virtue
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I love this photo of the Lion. It is such a powerful visual of traits I admire in leaders: Strong, Confident, Peaceful, Wise, and Courageous. He is fully aware of who he is and what he stands for. Calm and relaxed, yet alert and watchful. Able to fully enjoy life as he currently knows it, and yet courageous enough to leave his comfort zone, and use his voice or his strength to empower, to protect or to create change the moment he is needed.
C.S. Lewis describes leadership this way:
[Tweet “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. “]
- How many people and organizations do you know that need that kind of leader?
- How many individuals and organizations do you know that are unhappy with their present reality and desire something different and yet do nothing to change their circumstances?
- So why is there such a big gap between the desired result and the present state?
Are You Ready To Lead?
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A dear friend of mine, Sonia Di Maulo recently launched her wonderful book called The Apple in the Orchard. 
It is a beautifully written story about a little apple that has a burning desire to be a part of something greater than herself, and the journey that begins when she chooses curiosity and courage instead of life as she knows it.
When I read this book for the first time I was reminded of a favorite quote from Albert Einstein, “If you can’t explain it to a 6 year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
The story and the illustrations are simple enough to be a child’s bedtime story, challenging enough to be shared in an executive boardroom and inspiring enough to be read and savored again, and again, and again. It is a perfect gift for yourself and for those you love and serve.
I asked Sonia to make a short video so you could see her, hear from her, and discover her passion for this book.
Ken Blanchard was the first Leadership Expert I followed. If he wrote something, I bought it, studied it, I talked about it and I shared it! Although I read lots of leadership material, I still quote him the most. Check out what Ken has to say about Sonia’s book: “The Apple in the Orchard by Sonia DiMaulo is a lovely little book with a profound message: To pursue greatness, aspiring leaders sometimes must dare to leave the familiar. Opportunities for growth and learning are all around you—so take the leap, and grow!” To learn more CLICK HERE.
5 “Sticky” Posts on Leadership
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Over the past couple of years I have read and shared lots of blog posts.
The posts listed below bring understanding to anyone seeking to lead at a higher level.
- They are posts that “STUCK” the first time I read them.
- I’ve pondered them, referred to them, and shared them.
- Most of them are several months old, and they are just as “STICKY” today as the first day I read them.
- CEO’s: Who tells you that your baby’s ugly? By Ted Coine. We’ve all heard the “Urban Legend” that you can’t tell the CEO when they are throwing time and money at something that is not designed to address the root cause of the issue. The question I keep asking is WHY? Has that Executive proven that they continually shoot the messenger? If not, why do we believe that giving them information that will make them and the organization they lead more effective, is a suicide mission? If you are a CEO… Do your people tell you when your “baby” is ugly? If not, what can you do to change that?
- Why Executives Get Impatient – Fear! By Kate Nasser. I love the use of the word bejeebers in this post. It makes me laugh every-time I read the word. Just the use of this fun word in the midst of sound advice planted this post in my long-term memory immediately. It is a great guide for anyone that is trying to learn how to be more effective when they “lead up.”