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Posts Tagged ‘Leadership’

Intentional Leadership — D1, W4, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on December 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Reflecting on my childhood today, got me thinking about today’s post. I grew up in Southern California, about 15 minutes away from Disneyland. Talk about an undertaking that required an undeniable belief in one’s dreams!

If you’re not familiar with Walt Disney’s story, and how he built his empire, I recommend you do some reading. The man clearly had a dream — several of them, in fact — and he didn’t let much stand in his way of reaching his goals and bringing his dreams to reality. Disney dropped out of high school, spent some time in France with the Red Cross, returned to the States and sought employment as a newspaper artist. That didn’t work, so he went to work for an art studio, where he met one of his first partners. Their endeavor didn’t last long, however, as Disney was not a good money manager; their studio went bankrupt. Undeterred, he moved to a studio in Hollywood, where he went into cartooning, animation, and story-telling.

Blessed with creativity and imagination, Disney dabbled in a lot of different things before deciding to build a theme park for children. He developed the idea in the late 1940’s, and the park eventually opened in 1955, and as you are surely aware, the Disney empire continues to grow and expand to this day.

Along the way, he faced and overcame numerous obstacles and challenges; faced with the same hardships, many people would likely have given up. Walt Disney had big dreams, however, and a firm belief in his ability to bring his dreams to fruition. For a long list of his accomplishments, you can look any number of places: Wikipedia, The Walt Disney Company, his biography, etc…

The point is, belief will fuel your results.

What results have you achieved because you believed in yourself and your abilities as a leader?

Write it down…

What have I accomplished?

How did my beliefs fuel those accomplishments?

What would I like to accomplish in my future?

How do my current beliefs support those dreams?

What do I need to believe — that I don’t believe today — in order to achieve success in this area?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W3, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , on December 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As we end this third week of our focus on belief, I find myself in a new and exciting place…one in which I am breaking through some formerly self-limiting beliefs about who I am, where I’m headed and what I’m capable of. Let’s say I’m conducting an experiment in stepping forward into my beliefs and testing the waters to see if my beliefs are valid. Only time will tell, but let’s say it’s been a good week, with a lot of exciting and intriguing things on the horizon.

I have given myself a bit of a break this week; although I’ve been doing some work, I’ve also allowed myself more “leisure” time. Truth be told, I’ve been  so much more focused that I’ve accomplished a number of things in my new office so much faster than I’ve experienced in previous environments, I’ve surprised myself. I don’t know about you, but I believe the physical and emotional environment is critical in terms of being conducive to productivity, and this new space is proving that out, especially in comparison to other environments I’ve been in.

So, as I approach this weekend, I have a mix of work and play on my mind. I will enjoy some creative and festive activities with family, and I will continue to polish my presentation for a speaking engagement I have on Monday. I need to spend a little more time and energy engaged with family members who are on the west coast. And I need to work on my schedule for the coming weeks.

What will you do with your weekend?

What is calling for your attention?

With whom do you need to spend some time?

What do you need to do to prepare for next week, the coming holidays and the new year?

However you choose to spend it, I hope you are intentional.

We will begin our fourth and final week of discussion on Belief on Monday. It’s hard to believe this will be our final week of this Intentional Leadership journey — at least in the structured way thru which we’ve been working these past 12 months. Rest assured, my focus on leadership and growth will not wane, but we will take a new approach in the coming months.

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W3, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on December 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Have you refined your mission statement to a point you are ready to say it’s final? This doesn’t mean you never revisit or revise it, but are you satisfied with it as a guide for your next 6, 12, 18 months? Perhaps even longer…?

If so, let’s make it real and visible — a daily reminder.

Print it out in whatever format you prefer (just words, something visual, big, small…). Frame it, if that works for you. Put it in a place you will see it daily, to remind yourself of what you are striving to accomplish.

Now, just to be sure you are really ready to move forward, get your journal out and spend some time writing about the obstacles you are likely to face in pursuit of your mission, and how you will address them.*

 

*From the Intentional Leadership booklet, by Giant Impact.

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W3, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on December 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.  ~Albert Einstein

Take some time today to consider what impact you will have on others, as you live out your personal mission statement. The overall test is this: Would others say their lives are better or worse as a result?*

What impact will my mission have on my clients and/or community?

What impact will my mission have on my family/relatives?

What impact will my mission have on my friends?

What impact will my mission have on my co-workers and peers?

What did you learn, going through this exercise, about your mission statement?

Will you pursue it? Or do you think you need to make adjustments?

*From the Intentional Leadership booklet, by Giant Impact. 

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W3, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on December 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As we are talking about Belief and how it relates to, or empowers, our mission, let’s spend some time today thinking about our personal missions.

Before we get into the mechanics of developing a personal mission statement, here’s mine:

I am on a mission to make the world a better place, one encounter at a time, by beaming rays of light (helping them to see themselves and others with greater clarity) into their lives.

To get started, ask yourself these questions:

What do I want to achieve, for myself and others?

Why do I want to do this?

Specifically, what behaviors do I need to demonstrate, or what actions do I need to take, to achieve my mission?

Here are three questions you can ask yourself, to test your mission statement:*

1. Is it connected to my most deeply-held values?

2. Does it inspire and motivate me to act?

3. Is it simple, straightforward, and easily understood by others?

If you can say yes to these three questions, you are off to a good start.

So, get started today. Don’t rush through it. Be sure it feels true to you at the heart level. Give yourself permission to refine it over time. This isn’t a one-time exercise.

I hope you’ll share your personal mission statement with me when you have it written.

*From the Intentional Leadership booklet, by Giant Impact. 

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W3, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , on December 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

History is filled with the stories of people whose beliefs in their mission were so strong, they were prepared to die for them. Surely, it’s not something I’m encouraging you to do, but to be thinking about belief can empower you and your mission.

Consider these examples:

Our forefathers who so blatantly went against the British Crown, essentially signing their death warrants when they signed the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well that if the American Revolution failed, they would all be sentenced to death.*

The first astronauts in the American space program. Yes, they had all science and physics behind them with the brightest minds in aeronautics, etc., designing and driving their mission. But, if something went wrong (and we’ve certainly experienced those moments…), they would surely perish. Yet, they went forth to explore our universe.

The same can be said of underwater explorers. Science, technology, and engineering are making it possible to travel to greater and greater depths, and yet, there is no fail-safe guarantee any of these expeditions will be fully successful.

How many years have climbers been trekking up Mt. Everest…even before oxygen and other technological advances were available to hedge their bets against the elements?

These may be pretty extreme examples, and far from what you’re working to accomplish in your teams and organizations. The point is, belief will empower you to keep forging ahead, even when it’s hard.

As we start our third week in our focus on Belief, I encourage you to spend some time today thinking about how your beliefs are guiding and shaping your current mission. Specifically, focusing your energy on the small steps that will move you forward, over time achieving the big steps that bring you ever closer to your big goal. Write them down…

Now, how passionate are you about your beliefs and your mission?

What hardships are you willing to endure on your journey?

 

*From the Intentional Leadership booklet by Giant Impact. 

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on November 29, 2013| 1 Comment »

Good morning and Happy Friday! I hope this day finds you well and happy, after enjoying a delightful Thanksgiving with friends and family.

I have been working on a major transition in my life for a while now, and more intensely over the past few weeks. Finally, I have stepped through a doorway, so to speak, largely because of my belief in myself, my purpose, and my calling. In a lot of ways, what’s happening in my life was inevitable, I believe. I have a vision; I have the support and encouragement I need; I have knowledge, some level of wisdom, and experience to carry me forward; and I have a strategy to bring my dream into reality. Finally, and maybe most important, I believe I will be a success in my endeavor. So, this month’s topic is particularly relevant to me these days.

How about you? How important is what you believe, right now with where you are in your life today? What does it mean for where you are headed tomorrow?

And speaking of tomorrow…what plans do you have? How will you spend your time this weekend?

What thought are you giving to preparation for next week, as it brings with it a new month and the beginning of the end of 2013?

What thoughts, by chance, are you giving to preparation for 2014? It will be here before we know it!

I am actually taking a bit of a different approach to this weekend; it will be all about family, fun, and relaxation. It’s truly time for a short break…to reflect, regroup, adjust my view of the world, get comfortable with my new priorities…and celebrate a couple of birthdays. Delightfully, my Monday will truly be my own for the first time in a long time.

Whatever you choose for your weekend, I hope you are intentional about it. Remember…as each moment passes, it is gone.

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W2, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on November 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Get out your journal and spend some time reflecting on what’s happening as you demonstrate new behaviors in support of your new belief. *

What was easy?

What was difficult?

What surprised you?

What resistance did you encounter (either internally or from others)?

What have you discovered about yourself through this process?

How are you thinking differently about how your beliefs affect your vision?

Our belief at the beginning of a doubtful undertaking is the one thing that assures the successful outcome of any venture.     ~William James

By the way, for those of you who observe this holiday, Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for you, my faithful readers, who give me a reason to be here daily, sharing my thoughts, beliefs, lessons learned, and hopefully, making a positive difference in your lives.

*From the Intentional Leadership booklet, by Giant Impact.

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W2, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , on November 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Let’s work on the negative beliefs we identified yesterday. Choose one and spend some time thinking about how to change it, and change your life in the process.*

Old belief:

Daily actions that supported that belief?

What could you believe to be true, instead?

New belief:

New daily actions in support:

Now that you’ve given this some thought, and identified how you can change the belief, change your behavior, and change your life…commit to the new actions and put them in your calendar, so you have no excuse for not following through.

If you’re willing to share what you’ve come up with, send a note in the Comments box. I’d love to hear what you’re working on.

 

*From the Intentional Leadership booklet, by Giant Impact.

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W2, M12 — Belief

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on November 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Today, let’s get specific about what you believe. Write down your top three beliefs, followed by specific actions you take daily that demonstrates your belief. Remember, this isn’t restricted to your work life, consider all facets of your life and how you embody your beliefs in your daily words and actions.

Here’s an example, if you believe staying fit and healthy is critical to success, you might demonstrate that through your eating and exercise habits.

This can be tricky though, like values, the question is – do you simply say you believe certain things, then not back it up through actions, or do you actually live your beliefs. Remember, if I asked you to review your checkbook and your calendar for the last couple of weeks, what stories would they tell about how you invest your time and resources?

Belief #1

Daily actions in support:

Belief #2

Daily actions in support:

Belief #3

Daily actions in support:

As I’m sure you will notice, we strengthen our beliefs through daily actions; just as we live our values through daily actions. If you are aware and mindful of them (both beliefs and values), decision-making will come easier, which allows you to really focus your energy on what matters most. In turn, this behavior can help you achieve your vision.

Be mindful, though, because this works in reverse if your beliefs are negative. It’s a good exercise…so as you did (above) with your positive beliefs, write down three negative beliefs you hold, and how those are demonstrated through your daily actions. Here’s an example, if I don’t believe myself to be worthy of someone’s time and attention, I will behave in such a way as to reinforce that belief to myself, while transmitting a negative frequency to that person, which will lead them to believe it, as well.

Belief #1

Daily actions in support:

Belief #2

Daily actions in support:

Belief #3

Daily actions in support:

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