Tag: Leadership (page 1 of 13)

My Resolution to Realize How Good Things Really Are

lookingatwater

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to realize how good things really are.” ~ Marianne Williamson

Like most people I take the end of the year to examine what has come before.

To consider my life.

Or reconsider my life.

Painfully aware of the gaps.

Resolving to do better,

I set goals.

Make promises.

Write them down.

Make a plan.

Things I want to do.

The person I want to be.

Year after year.

But this year,

I’m opting out,

Or, at least, opting differently.

I realized that in always reaching out for something else,

To be somewhere else,

To be someone else,

To do something else,

I’ve missed being grateful for what’s already here.

Never allowed myself to feel I was enough.

Just as I am.

That life is pretty awesome.

Just as it is.

That I can be special.

Without trying to be special.

Doing the best I can.

Where I am.

Until the next door opens.

To just take it one day at a time,

To appreciate what this day has to teach me,

To love the people in my life,

And just take it all in.

To stop chasing an image of who I should be,

In the mind of some expert or marketing campaign.

To stop trying to meet someone else’s standard of success,

Or a meaningful life.

I want to celebrate my life as it is.

To appreciate where I am,

And that where I am, while not perfect,

Is pretty amazing.

To let change happen naturally,

In the process of living.

A resolution to accept that enough,

Is enough.

Surrendered to the idea,

That right here,

Right now,

That living in the miracle that is this moment,

Is all I need.

Happy New Year.

Pyramids, Circles and Organizational Geometry

Welcome to Organizational Geometry.

I was reading a book recently that had nothing to do with business or leadership.

In fact, it was related to the Christmas story.

The author talked about a shift.

A new relationship built on circles instead of pyramids.

And that got me thinking about these shapes and how they differ.

How they influence the way we work and lead.

 

Pyramids.

Rigid.

Sharp.

Complex.

Heavy.

Stationary.

Structured.

Promotes inequality.

Consumes energy.

Blocks connection.

Monument to the ego.

 

Circles

Flexible.

Smooth.

Simple.

Light.

Mobile.

Natural.

Inspires equality.

Conserves energy.

Forms connection.

Monument to unity.

 

Pyramids

Or Circles?

Which one appeals to you?

 

Pyramids require that roles are defined and movement is limited.

(People die inside those things)

Energy is linear.

The structure creates layers of separation.

Changing the form requires careful maneuvering to avoid collapse.

Leadership is concentrated at the top.

 

Roles are flexible and can be organized in new ways with minimal effort.

Energy flows through and across the organization.

Circles allow unique and independent systems to overlap and connect in any number of ways to form new outcomes.

Leadership radiates from the center.

 

Shifting from pyramids to circles feels like a process of changing how we think about relationships, decision-making and the way groups are linked together in the organization.

More of a cultural, psychological shift than a structural change.

A different paradigm.

 

Circles seem full of possibilities.

Why then do we still see so many pyramids?

 

Many organizations are changing.

The focus seems to be on flat.

Not round.

A flatter pyramid.

Is still a pyramid.

End of lesson.

Me First Leadership

self-hug

Love is a verb.

We know true love by actions, not feelings.

People can’t really know how we feel - they gauge our love by what we do.

Love in action is proportional to our self-love.

“[Love] is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them - we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.” - Brenè Brown

We can’t give what we don’t have.

Leadership is a verb.

We know true leadership by actions, not words.

or titles…

or promises…

or popularity…

When we describe a great leader we talk about what they do.

How they respond to adversity.

How they treat people.

How they earn trust.

How they get results.

We can only lead others as much as we lead ourselves.

And just like love, leadership flows from the inside out.

When we neglect the actions that generate self-respect we struggle to act in ways that generate other-respect. Sooner or later our self-doubt and incongruity will come to the surface. We can only operate as a divided self for so long before we lose our ability to hold the tension and do something we regret.

We can’t be available and take the right course of action if our inner resources are depleted. We can’t lift others up when we’re bottomed out.

Healthy leadership needs wholehearted leaders.

That’s why it’s so important for leaders to cultivate their inner lives. As difficult as that is to do in our distracted, hyperactive world we must find ways to carve out the time. As Dr. Stephen Covey noted we must learn to “put first things first”.

And sometimes that means putting me first.

Wait a minute, isn’t leadership supposed to be about serving others?

Yep.

Me-first leadership isn’t selfish or narcissistic.

It means caring for our body, mind and heart so that we have the resources, energy, confidence and capacity to give our best and do our best.

Body - The attention our body needs - e.g., sleep/rest, nutrition, exercise - things that nourish and energize your body, that replenish your resources.

Mind - The attention our mind needs - e.g., learning, hobbies, meditation - things that clear and refresh your mind, that spark your imagination.

Heart - The attention our heart needs - e.g., relationships, retreats, fun - things that heal and restore your spirit, that make you come alive.

It’s the opposite of selfish.

It just might be the most giving thing we can do.

So if your heart’s desire is to be the best leader you can be and make a difference over the long haul then make me-time a priority. Put it on your schedule. Learn to say no to others so you can say yes to you.

Treat yourself with the same compassion, forgiveness, care and support that you give to the people you lead. Maybe even a little more. Create an abundance in your own life that naturally flows to others.

Because leaders are at their best when they lead from all three of these dimensions.

And you can’t give out what you don’t put in.

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