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Posts Tagged ‘Relationships’

Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M6 — Perseverance

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We have come to the end of week two…Friday’s sure do seem to come quicker these days, especially when one is really busy.

I’ve been in Guatemala City all week, working with John Maxwell, EQUIP, and my fellow John Maxwell Team-mates preparing for and teaching Transformational Leadership to groups of leaders from the seven streams of influence: Government, education, business, media, arts & entertainment, the faith community, and family. We have been teaching the principles shared in John’s 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth (this is really powerful material; if you are at all inclined toward growing yourself, and you haven’t read this, I highly recommend it. In fact, I take that one step further and recommend you join a Mastermind Group on this topic and work through the book with a small group of other growth-oriented individuals so you can learn together and from each other), as well as 15 values inherent in transformational leaders.

It’s been an amazing, invigorating, exciting, educational, and fun week. I’ve stretched and grown. I’ve helped others stretch and grow. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone in many ways. I’ve met some amazing new people. I’ve gotten to know so many of my JMT Team-mates so much better. I’ve discovered new opportunities I hadn’t even imagined. We donated a variety of materials and supplies to some orphanages; I brought art and school supplies, primarily.

Tomorrow, we will have our last teaching sessions, and after lunch we will be the guests at a huge party celebrating our investment in this effort of transforming the culture of Guatemala. What an amazing opportunity this has been!

So, you can see, my weekend will not be a typical time of rest and restoration! Saturday will be quite full and I will be traveling on Sunday.

What will you do with your weekend?

What relationships do you need to build, nurture, grow…repair?

What activities would you like to spend time and energy doing?

What do you need to do to be prepared for the start of a new week on Monday?

What do you need to be thinking about and planning for, for the next few weeks?

Have an intentional, enjoyable weekend!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W2, M6 — Perseverance

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As we near the end of week two, month six, look at the team of people working around you. What do you think are the most difficult aspects of their jobs?

As you consider this question, write down the top two or three biggest challenges you think they face.

Now, consider what simple actions could you take to help your co-workers persevere through the challenges of their daily work?

Plan it out and take action. You’ll make a huge difference in their day and you may be surprised by how good you feel…and how much easier it might now be for you to work through some of your own challenges.

The test of character is not ‘hanging in’ when you expect light at the end of the tunnel, but performance of duty and persistence of example when you know no light is coming.   ~Admiral James Stockdale

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W2, M6 — Perseverance

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on June 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

One day at a time, one step at a time. That’s what perseverance takes. Place one foot in front of the other, repeat; keep moving forward. Taking these small steps forward will help to counteract the headwinds of resistance.

Let’s take a journey back in time and consider the story of James Stockdale, American Prisoner of War (POW) in Vietnam. Commander Stockdale was a pilot during the Vietnam war. His plan was shot down and he parachuted into the jungle. Captured by the Vietcong, he spent seven years in the Hoa Lo prison, where the prisoners were subjected to severe brutality.

Despite his conditions and circumstances, Stockdale did not give in. In fact, he helped his fellow POWs remain strong by leading them through small but meaningful acts that helped them preserve their dignity.

One of his first initiatives was to devise a communication system the POWs could use to “talk” to each other, by tapping on the walls or floor. Before he arrived, captives had been isolates from each other and anyone who spoke was tortured by the guards. Thanks to Stockdale’s resourcefulness, the POWs could now communicate with each other and know they were not alone, as they endured their captivity.

He helped them persevere by creating a code of honor for POWs who were tortured. As you are probably aware, it was humiliating for American soldiers to give information to their captors. As the soldiers maintained their silence, their captors increased their extreme torture measures; and total silence typically led to a death sentence. Stockdale led the prisoners to a mutual pledge to resist as long as possible, and he gave them an outlet for confessing anything they had been forced to reveal. Through these simple confessionals, the soldiers unloaded their guilt, which allowed them to not be overcome with shame.

Today, think about your resourcefulness and how it could help someone else endure adversity. In your circle, who could you creatively support by giving them the encouragement they need to face another day?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W1, M6 — Perseverance

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As we begin this Friday, I am filled with excitement and anticipation. I leave for Guatemala on Sunday, and will be there for a full week. The John Maxwell Team will spend about 1-1/2 days in training, learning the new Transformational Leadership material from John, and then we will each train small groups (about 40 people per training, for several hours each day) over the course of the next three days. We will be teaching business leaders, government leaders, teachers, law enforcement officers, and members of the clergy. It’s going to be a phenomenal week and I am so looking forward to this opportunity.

I still have a few things to do to prepare…like pack! And, I’m looking ahead to the weeks that follow, as I have a lot going on.

This month’s topic is very relevant for me, as I build my business, perseverance is critical. Each and every day, I am planting the seeds that will allow my business to grow; I must be patient while the seeds germinate and eventually sprout and thrive. As you can imagine, a lot of things happen that could be quite discouraging, but I must not lose faith. I am beyond 100% confident I have found my calling, and I will allow nothing to deter me from making this work.

What about you…what are you passionate about that you are driving toward? What first steps can you take this weekend, that will allow you to persevere on your journey?

What else needs your time and attention?

What relationships do you need to nurture? Build? Repair?

What do you need to do for you?

What can you do over the weekend to set yourself up for success in the coming weeks?

Have an intentional weekend, and I’ll “see” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W4, M5 — Passion

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on May 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

It’s Friday, already! Guess it’s not surprising, having had Monday off for Memorial Day (at least in the States…).

It was a busy week and went quickly for me. I find that happens when I am totally engrossed in what I’m doing. Had the honor and privilege to be involved in a unique event this week; not necessarily related to my passion, but I could see the passion in the others involved…and it was fun. Have to say I so enjoy watching others when they are living out their passion. And, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly an F-35 Lightning II Strike Fighter Jet simulator…it was fun. I kept the world safe from some bad guys, did my victory rolls, and landed my jet safely back at Nellis Air Force Base (bit of a rush, I must admit! Oddly similar to the experience of driving an ambulance with red lights and sirens, flying past all the other traffic — including a police car…but that was a long time ago, in another life!).

Needless to say, it was a full week, and I am so looking forward to this weekend. I have some “me” time planned Saturday afternoon. Will spend time with my family, do some writing, and work on content for the next lesson in my Empowerment Mentoring program: “You are Perfect.” This is powerful content and I’m having fun with it. And, with my trip to Guatemala just 10 days away, I have a lot of work to do in preparation for that.

What about you…what are you up to this weekend and in the weeks ahead?

As you know, I encourage those I work with to be intentional — thoughtful about how they spend their time and energy. I hope you are taking this to heart; it makes a tremendous difference in what you are able to accomplish and how you feel about yourself in the process.

I look forward to hearing the stories of what you are up to!

Have a great weekend, and I’ll “see” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W4, M5 — Passion

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on May 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As I believe I said earlier this week, Passion is contagious! As your passion grows, you will attract others who want to join in your passion. Have you given any thought to how others can add value to, and at the same time be enriched by participating in your passion?

I have! Fortunately for me, my passion and others go hand-in-hand. In fact, if it weren’t for others, my passion would be fairly dissatisfying. Of course, I will follow my passion to grow myself, but as I’m on a mission to change the world one encounter at a time, by helping others grow into their potential, as well, my passion requires others to participate.

What would happen if you invited one other person to join you in your passion today?

Here are some examples of how this could work:

If your passion is to encourage girls to reach their potential through sports, what if you and a friend coached a girls’ sports team?

If your passion is to write, what would you achieve by inviting a creative friend to join you in some creative brainstorming to develop some story ideas?

If you are passionate about fighting or curing a particular illness, enlist a friend to join you in supporting an existing or developing a new fundraiser for the cause.

If your passion is around creating an engaging, team-oriented, productive work environment, enlist a co-worker to imagine ways to bring some new creativity, energy, and fun to the team.

Right now, name something you are passionate about and finish this sentence:

Today, I will invite…to join me in …

Now, get out there and do it!

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W3, M5 — Passion

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I am loving this month’s topic — Passion! I would say, of the topics we have covered so far, this is the one I feel most aligned with, as I have been giving myself permission to recognize, express, revel, and demonstrate my passion much more openly over the past 18 months. In fact, with the self-assessment we did earlier this week, I can honestly say I’m between 8-10 on most of the measures. It feels good.

What about you? We’re just about to start week four of our fifth month of this intentional leadership journey (how is that really possible?!!)…which topic has resonated with you the most, so far? Which one do you need to spend more time and energy on? Personally, I need to spend more time on focus. I know what I need to be doing, but I don’t always stick with my schedule and stay as focused as I would like; so I continue to work on that.

Now it’s time for our Friday ritual! It’s a holiday weekend, at least for those of us in the US. One might imagine it would change the way you’ve looked at this weekend, since many take the opportunity of a day off to extend their weekend and go on trips. We are staying home this Memorial Day weekend; last year, we spent it exploring Baltimore’s inner harbor — that was a really fun trip!

For the weekend, I will attend a birthday party with my son. I see this as a good opportunity to get to know some of the other parents better. I will get more sleep (have been running short for a couple of weeks now), maybe even make the time to watch a movie (that would be decadent!).

You see, as I am so focused these days on moving more deeply into my passion area, I typically spend most of my free time pursuing it in some fashion — reading, working on growth plans, going through John Maxwell curriculum, developing new materials for workshops, teaching opportunities, and mentoring…I don’t spend much time on what is typical “fun”…but what I do spend my time on is truly fun for me.

In fact, I will be working on lesson 2 of the Empowerment Mentoring program, all about being in one’s comfort zone…sounds cozy, but if you are interested in growth, it’s not a good place to hang out!

What about you? What’s on the agenda for your weekend and the coming week?

Who will you share your time and attention with? How will you spend your energy?

And are you thinking about the coming weeks? I’m headed to Guatemala in a few weeks, to teach Transformational Leadership with John Maxwell and our amazing team…so I have some homework to do — learning about the culture and the people, etc…

As always, no shortage of opportunities or demands on your time and attention, I’m sure. I hope this journey is helping you to invest your time and attention more intentionally. After all, this is the only life we get!

Have a great weekend, and I’ll “see” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W3, M5 — Passion

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Having spent some time yesterday measuring your level of passion and your pursuit of your passion, today let’s shift focus to someone else.

Think of a co-worker, friend, or family member who has expressed a passion, but is not living their passion today.

Food for thought:

1. Go online and purchase a book in the area of their passion. Give them the book with a hand-written note encouraging them to pursue their passion.

2. Think of someone in your network who  has a similar passion. Connect this person with the person in your network to give them a new connection, support in pursuing their passion,  and potential opportunity.

3. As them about their passion. Take an interest in them and really listen. Share with them they are not alone in their journey and that you are committed to their success.

How can you help stoke the fires of their passion?

What can you do to help them move forward into it?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M5 — Passion

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

What are you discovering this month, with our focus on Passion? Are you true to yours?

Will you incorporate your passion into your weekend plans?

I’m looking forward to some adventure, exploration, fun, and preparation for the Empowerment Mentoring. Starting my first cohort on Tuesday and am really excited to go on this journey with the determined souls who have enrolled.

As you prepare for your weekend, consider these questions:

Who really need your attention this weekend? You? Family? Friends? People you’ve not yet met?

For me, aside from my immediate family, it’s friends. A close friend experienced a mild stroke several weeks ago, and this will be our first opportunity to visit and see how she’s doing and what we can do to brighten their day.

What really needs your attention this weekend? Is it projects, rest, relaxation…?

A little of all of the above for me.

What is on your calendar in the coming weeks, and on your mind, that you need to prepare for, set aside time for, think about?

Set yourself up for success and plan for those things…otherwise, all those distractions (aka real life!) will take you off on some detours.

Have a great weekend, and I’ll “see” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W2, M5 — Passion

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on May 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Spend some time with your journal today and write about the power of passion and how it could lead to trouble if it is not guided by principles.

What are the dangers?

How could something near to your heart hurt you and others?

How can you prevent this from happening?

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