Other Personal & leadership Links

Taking Stock.

Learning Enablers

Certain behaviors or attitudes make these Personal Development discussion and exercises easier. For some this is a real challenge, for others, they embrace the opportunity to talk about themsleves....

  • Experience (mistakes) and reflection are required to develop leadership
  • It takes courage to share, this is an emotionally risky exercise
  • There are no case studies apart from YOU
  • Leadership can be learned, natural leaders are most often situation specific (Winston Churchill)
  • Your learning is dependent on the openness of others about you.
  • and the manner in which exchanges are made.

add to the list.....there are a lot more

Be clear what you want to get out of these exercises

Merely to spend time reflecting on what balance you require in your life, is  a worthy enough activity, but....

  1. It should assist you in your current leadership role as it encourages you to express a leadership vision.
  2. It allows you to articulate and express your values and how you wish to see these expressed in the business
  3. It will give you an accessible framework to continually apply in a spirit of continuous discovery.
  4. Which should increase your effectiveness and with it the health of your business.

Is Balance Important to you?

Perhaps this might help with assessing the balance?
Domain Importance Focus of Attention
Now Upon Reflection Now Upon Reflection
Work/School % % % %
Family % % % %
Society at large/Community % % % %
Self % % % %

Clarify What is of importance to you? 

This involves 4 exercises done as a leadership team

  1. Relate the story of your values
  2. Share your leadership vision
  3. Check you have the 4 domains all covered
  4. Give and receive coaching

Before that here are 5 short clips to give you another perspective,

Learning Points Link
1.Most of us have experienced a great leader some time in our past. This experience provided a model of great leadership which we let ourselves forget when we are co-opted by poor or mediocre leaders.

2. Leadership is about the relationship between the leader and the people around him or her.

3. The best leaders build or rebuild resonant relationships. These are relationships in which the leader is in tune with or in sync with the people around him or her.		 link A
1.Effective or resonant leadership relationships typically involve the experience of hope, compassion and mindfulness.

2. Effective, or resonant, leaders remind people of the purpose or vision of the organization. This arouses context, meaning and hope.

3. Resonant leaders care about others, beyond empathy or understanding, they deeply care.

4. Resonant leaders are mindful. That is, they appear to be authentic, transparent, genuine, and act with integrity.

5. On the whole, resonant leaders inspire others. Most of the time, when you leave a conversation or their office, you feel charged up, excited and inspired		 link B
1. Emotions are contagious, both positive and negative emotions.

2. The contagion spreads at fast speeds, often in milliseconds, and is predominantly below conscious awareness.

3. If you are not emotionally intelligent and mindful (i.e., not aware of what you are feeling), you do not understand how your emotions are infecting others, nor can you consciously change your impact on others to be more effective.		 Link C
Link D
1. Stress activates the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), whether the stress is annoying but mild or acute.

2. Chronic, annoying stress (losing a cell phone call) causes your body to activate and prepare for defending itself but also results in cognitive, perceptual and emotional impairment.

3. Stress will kill you and undermine your ability to make good decisions - but this can be remedied

4. Leadership is also about  taking responsibility for your body! 		Link E
1. Four key experiences have been shown in published studies to activate the parasympathetic nervous system: mindfulness, hope, compassion and playfulness

2. Your parasympathetic nervous system is your most effective tool against stress ( am well documented medical fact -check it out)

3. Various  activities invoke these experiences:
a. Mindfulness: meditation; yoga, tai chi; prayer if you are praying to a loving God (not a vengeful or blaming one); physical exercise in moderation but consistently;

b. Compassion: being in a loving relationship; having pets you can pet (i.e., dogs, cats, monkeys or horses- not fish); volunteering and helping those less fortunate; helping family members, especially elderly or disabled;

c. Hope: thinking and talking with others about a future dream, personal or shared; being hopeful about the future;

d. Playfulness: laughing with others
Link F

Now you should be ready to share what is important to you in the next session.