Leaders

Your Good-Enough List (A critical Sanity-Saving Tool)

I recently attended a three-day women’s festival that I attended for the first time in 2016. It’s never the same the second, third or umpteenth time around is it? First of all, there’s that ‘first time newness’ that we can only get once. “Wow! Look at that!” “Goodness, that’s amazing!” And so on … because we are seeing things through fresh, first-time eyes.

In our subsequent visits, while we look for that same magic, but logically know it will be different than our beloved ‘first-time’.  We then start to notice what’s not there that we liked the previous year(s), and lament “But I really liked that!”

So this year, I decided to focus instead on what was new, different and intriguing. And that’s how I came across The Release Tree.

Courage – an expanded definition (It isn’t what I thought it was)

We’ve all heard these definitions …

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquering of it.  (I’ve seen this attributed to Dan Millman)

Courage is resistance to fear.  (Thanks Mark Twain)

Courage is mastery of fear.  (Mark Twain again)

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.  (Kelly Clarkson made this line famous in her pop song)

In other words, grit your teeth and move on regardless. Tough it out. Toughen up.

A lot of people who know me say I’m one of the most tenacious, determined, “courageous” people they know. And I’ve always kind of liked this. I’m proud that I ‘hang in there’, dig deep and find my way through challenges.

My father (bless you, dad) had a saying that went something like this: “The real measure of a person’s character is how they handle adversity.” And I liked this too – for most of my life.

Whenever I was going through a tough time, I’d remember my dad’s words and think ‘keep going, Sandi – you’re developing character. People will admire you for the fact that you’ve made it through all this crap.’ And so I did keep going (though I’m not sure this really earned me brownie points in the admiration-from-other-people stakes).

When was the last time you Celebrated?

That’s right – how long has it been since you celebrated?

I don’t mean go-out-on-the-town-and-spend-a-fortune celebration …

I mean even a simple pause in your day when you gave yourself a pat on the back.

Double-speak and Silence hide the truth

Irrespective of what your stance is on how we should deal with Australia's asylum seekers, this post holds some important truths for all our leaders.

Conflict always involves more than one person!

Seems obvious, doesn't it?

Yet, it's surprising to me how many people forget this.When focussed on 'who's to blame', people involved are looking for the singular person who caused it all.

Wrong!

Is Office Chit-Chat harmful?

A strange article on Smart Company's site ... and I'm not sure I agree with all of it. (Or much of it, come to think about it ...)

Do you ask for help as often as you should?

I've just received my latest Post Program Executive Report for a client I worked with last week. I used to do these myself - but then I finally saw the light ...

Happy Independence Day!

OK ... so I'm thinking about indepedence today because I was born in the USA and spent the early years of my life there. And today is America's Independence Day - a national holiday where our break from England in 1776 is commemorated and celebrated.

But it's a subject worthy of pondering ...

How independent are you?

Where are the Leaders?

“Leadership is not about titles and positions, there are people with no titles who lead every day. … Leadership is about making a positive difference and you cannot do that without empathy.” Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HP. 

Hear, hear, Carly!

So, how can you be a leader without a title?

Here are 10 ways you can get started - today!

10 Dumb Ways to De-Motivate Your Team

1.Ignore them

Obvious, right? Yet there’s lots of ways to ignore people. Be constantly in meetings and/or out of the office. Say your ‘door is always open’, but it’s usually closed. Be distracted by your email or phone while they’re talking with you. Avoid eye contact as you walk through the office. Tell them you’ll get back to them – and then don’t.

© Copyright 2013  Sandi Givens and Knowledge-Able Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Sandi Givens – Author, Facilitator & Coach
Leading Specialist in Leading & Transforming Teams from Struggling to Excelling

Is Faking It a good idea?

I'm sure you've heard the saying 'Fake it till you make it'.

I've always disliked that. Probably because I have such a high value on authenticity and being the real you and true to yourself in all contexts.

But here's a lady who's reshaped my thinking ...

Excuses & Lies in the Workplace

As I stood in line to be served at our local Post Office, an item caught my eye. It was a small box (about 10cm square) that evidently held lots of cards with information on them. (It was sealed, so I couldn't look at the actual contents.) And the title on the box was this:

Do you know how important Followers are?

Especially the first follower.

For a quick lesson in Leadership and Followship (3 minutes of your time), check out this YouTube clip ...

The Acute Heptagram of Impact

The Acute WHAT of HUH?

I know - the name seems crazy, but the thinking behind it is fascinating - and useful!

How do we help Rural Australia grow?

It's been a long-standing desire of mine to take my work more frequently to areas outside of the capital cities of Australia. People living in rural areas do not have the usual smorgasbord of training and development opportunities that those living in the big cities do.

Are you a Rucus-Maker?

If, like me, you find Seth Godin interesting, treat yourself to viewing this chat with this amazing thinker ... 

Are you ready to step up?

“Leadership is not a popularity contest” I remember my good friend and colleague, Robyn Henderson, sharing that thought with me many years ago. And I truly believes she’s right.

I look at what’s happening in our political system and it makes me sick. We vote these people in, we trust them to spend out money (our taxes) in responsible and appropriate ways.

What a cracker of a night it was!

That’s how the evening was promoted – ‘A Cracker of a Night!’ And it didn’t disappoint.

I’ve long known of Melina Shamworth’s business and her dedication to make a real difference in the lives of as many people as she possibly can. But last night was the first time I’ve had the chance to attend one of her events.