Archives for August 2012

Monday Inspiration: J.K. Rowling

August 27, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

This week, I am thrilled to be launching the Monday Inspiration series, a blog post every Monday morning with the goal to bring you some energy and inspiration to get you moving on the work that matters most to you. The Weekly Inspiration will be a mix of inspirational quotes and poems ready to read when you wake up Monday! And they always end with one question to get you thinking and making bold moves each week. Enjoy!

 

"It is impossible to live without

failing at something, unless you live

so cautiously that you might as well

not have lived at all – in which case,

you fail by default."

‐ J.K Rowling

 

When was the last time you failed? When is the next time you can try and learn, with the risk of failure? 

Filed Under: inspiration ·

Stop asking for favors

August 23, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Asking people for favors never lasts. If it means something to you, ask others to act based on their  values, not because they are doing you a favor.

So often we treat the generosity of others as ‘favors’. Yet this framing often moves us away from the real work of connections and values with others.  The real juice is when the connections of giving are deeply intertwined with the mission and challenges that a group is trying to tackle. 

The next time you need something from a friend, don’t ask for a favor. Ground your ask in stories and values and you will find your real tribe. This is the tribe that lasts, that will work with you to build your base in the long run.

Filed Under: leadership ·

Leadership breaks the software code

August 16, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Thousands of problems are solved for us everyday..by the body. The accumulated wisdom of thousands of generations of society make sure we don't have to worry about eating or digesting our food (in the Western world), walking or keeping our heart beating. Similarly there is a constant stream of social dynamics such as how to behave in social contexts, which we have accumulated as well.

We live in a world of software code and decision trees operated by our bodies. People pass on this code across generations. So much of what we form and how we lead is informed by the complex multi line software codes that we learn as children.

Most of the wisdom of our elders is worth holding onto as we grow older. Roughly 95 percent need to be cherished, yet 5 percent needs to be investigated and given the freedom to rearrange, renegotiate and sometimes discard. Some space must be generated to align to a new era of leadership in the crowded room of our minds.

This, at its truth, is innovation. The word innovation has the same root as the word native, to be reborn, and renaissance.

As leaders, we must take ongoing corrective action on our mental software. So, how will we break our software code as leaders? 

1) See yourself as a living case example of the software. It is always best to see yourself as part of a system and as an example of software. The only challenge or opportunity will be your learning. The major impediment will be your pride, shame, and embarrassment. Watch yourself fall back into the software, old paradigms and get back up again.

2) Don’t worry about not knowing and ask a lot of questions. The naive comments you make and questions you ask will be a source of innovation — ingenius, generative, and something new being born.

3) When someone tries to bring you down, don’t assume that (s)he knows what she did. The default setting is to take it personally. Yet we can only assume that the information is not just in him/her it's in the larger system. How are we as a social system generating a dynamic where one is creating certain cultures over others?

So, how will you break your own software code today and innovate?

This piece was inspired by Ronald Heifetz. For more leadership lessons, check out my free Tools and Dance Moves page here. 

Filed Under: generation y, leadership · Tagged With: , ,

How to Get Noticed Part Two

August 9, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

I’ve been very humbled and grateful to see the response to my most recent Forbes piece How To Get Noticed, Get Hired, and Get Just About Anything Else You Want Too.  With over 10,000 views in less than 48 hours and a plethora of emails from Gen Y leaders ‘getting noticed’ in my inbox, I’m clear of one thing:

The next generation wants to be heard and share their voice with the world. They want to connect with others in deeper ways and have conversations that matter in order to create the world we want to live in.

I’ve received emails from many of you sharing your stories with me, others who have asked for more networking tips, those who are in college and those who are senior leaders, all who resonated with the belief that they could connect with anyone and pursue their dreams.

There’s one more thing I want to share: this Forbes piece and my work is not only about getting noticed, its about getting noticed to act and change the world. It’s about understanding that, as leaders across generations, we need to connect with the voices of power and authority to understand their worldviews in order to influence our communities—it's not just about ‘getting ahead.’

We all know the power of networks is changing and communication across silos and hierarchies is essential. We also need to be more succinct, specific, and willing to get over our fears to make the connections we’d like to make.

So thank you for your sharing your energy and words in the past few days. Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing a series of posts that will help you get clearer on what you need to do to get noticed, hired, and just about anything you want –in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and matters for the challenges we face in the global world today. Keep sharing your questions with me and I'll be sure to answer them in my blog.

In the meantime, for more life lessons, explore my private collection of leadership & career tools, tipsheets & scripts . . . For free. Access to The Generational Alchemy LIBRARY is yours, when you jump on my mailing list.

Filed Under: generation y, leadership · Tagged With: , , ,