Dancing the Tango with my Instructor and Partner Nick at the Cross-Country Dance Championships in Las Vegas

I walked into a Fred Astaire dance studio a year ago with the sole desire of learning to Tango. It was something I had always wanted to do, and I was following my heart.

The deeper truth is that I was woefully in need of expanding my feminine energy…the energy we all have, regardless of gender, which fuels the feeler within us. It’s the energy that we are immersed in when we teach, nurture, create, innovate, dream big, receive graciously from others, guide, and mentor. It’s the energy we are in when we follow instead of lead. It’s the energy we are in when we simply let go.

As a leader I had spent so much time in my masculine energy: thinking, analyzing, strategizing, outlining, and – more than anything – controlling, that I had almost lost touch with the part of myself that could just let go, feel and follow. Perhaps this is something you, too, can relate to?

Ballroom dancing was the perfect antidote. I realized very quickly that in order to do well and actually enjoy it, I was going to have to learn to follow my partners. I had to shift out of the mentality that said, “I’ve got this! I can do this by myself. No one will do this as well as I am able to just do it myself.” I had to shift into the mentality that was open to receiving these words from someone else: “I’ve got you. Follow me and we’ll both succeed.”

It has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do. It has also been one of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned as a leader.

You would think that letting someone else take charge would be a welcome respite from the stress of leading and controlling and of being fully responsible for every step of the process. It’s not. What I learned about myself very quickly – and maybe is true of all of you – is that my leadership behaviors had become so ingrained in me that trying to let go of these behaviors was actually much more stressful!

I started wondering if there really would be any value in learning to be a good follower…or in learning to let go and to feel. And then my brilliant business partner and guide said these words to me:

“Think of how successful you’ve been using only half of yourself, your masculine side. Imagine how successful you could be if you empowered all of yourself. If you spent more time in your heart and less time in your fears.”

If you take nothing else away from this blog post, I hope you will ask the entirety of this question of yourself.

In my case, I honestly had a hard time imagining it. I didn’t know what it would look like or feel like. So, I decided to take on the challenge of a lifetime, which would force me to find out. This past January I signed up for the national Cross-Country Dance Championships in Las Vegas, with only three and a half months to prepare to compete in nine different styles of ballroom dance, plus a solo. Did I mention it was a national competition? This is probably the craziest thing I ever did in terms of “putting myself out there.” By far.

Dancing my Solo with my Instructor and Partner Joel at the Cross-Country Dance Championships in Las Vegas

Over the course of five days I competed in more than 100 heats. My very first time stepping on a ballroom floor to compete was for the performance of my Solo on the very first night of competition. I walked out onto the floor shaking from all the adrenaline, but with this assurance from my soulful partner Joel: “I’ve got you.” I trusted. I followed Joel and I let the music move me. I gave myself permission to actually feel every second of that 2-minute performance. And I believe it showed on my face. Most importantly, I felt it in my heart.

The very last time I stepped out on the ballroom floor at the end of the very long week was to compete in the finals of the Smooth Division competition (Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango) in the youngest age category (meaning, against competitors who were, generally speaking, much younger than I). I had just started learning the Waltz and Foxtrot in earnest in January, and was literally still afraid of doing everything wrong. I was quite positive that I still had no idea how to Foxtrot. To say that I was stunned to make it to the finals is an understatement.

I knew I had only one choice when I stepped out on the ballroom floor for that final round with my partner Nick: let go, follow, and feel with my whole heart, just as I had done in my Solo with Joel. What followed were some of the most freeing minutes of my life. Truly. I felt whole. I felt divine. I felt empowered from within. I felt powerful in the most unexpected ways.

So what was the result of empowering my full self during the course of that week as my business partner had encouraged me to do; the masculine side that executed the steps to the best of my ability and the feminine side that followed and let go in order to feel? I took 4th place overall in the country in my Rhythm Division (Cha-Cha, Rumba and Swing) and 2nd place overall in my Smooth Division. But as unbelievable and incredible as this was, my most divine accomplishments – solely because of their importance to me and my journey, and because of how whole I felt while dancing them – were taking 1st in the country with my Solo, 1st in the Tango, and yes, I took 1st place in the Foxtrot. It was a week beyond what I had dared to dream or imagine.

The moral of this story, without a sliver of a doubt, and one that I will now be applying in every aspect of my career: we are all more powerful when we awaken every aspect of ourselves – masculine as well as feminine, head as well as heart – and live our lives as our full, whole, True Selves. Not only do we become more powerful, but we open the door to the possibility of expanding our lives in the most unexpected ways… ~

**Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Joel and Nick! I never could have accomplished any of it without you…

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Photos by Fred Astaire South Barrington.

It’s easy when focused on short-term goals, particularly as CEO with expectations of your Board, shareholders and “the street” to be met, to lose sight of this priority. Yet those who take great care to develop their people in a purposeful, thoughtful way will find their short-term goals significantly easier to meet. It’s precisely for this reason, I’m convinced, that many of the CEOs I work with at CEO Connection are so focused on Talent Management right now, even seeking coaches for themselves and their executive teams.

The Coaching Aspect of Leadership

There are a number of ways to help your people grow and develop, including giving them new challenges and opportunities, timely and constructive feedback, formal instruction, mentoring, and coaching them for success. Each of these has its own art, with the art of coaching being often misunderstood. Coaching is not about fixing others’ weaknesses, it is about inspiring them to achieve their full potential and giving them the tools with which to do so.

With this in mind, and inspired by the five brilliantly inspirational and masterful coaches who have invested in my success and are helping me bring one of my personal-life dreams to fruition, (thank you Hayk Arshakian, Ricky Bentzen, Jack Davy, Stephen Knight, and Emilia Poghosyan!), are the top five secrets to great coaching as a leader:

1. It’s all in the positioning.

It’s important as a leader to remember the impact, and thus power, of the words you use. For example, “You need to fix xyz because it’s wrong/bad for all the following reasons” puts the focus and energy on the negative, is mentally and emotionally draining, and won’t be nearly as effective from a coaching perspective as, “Let’s have you try this because of all the reasons this is going to help you succeed and shine.”

As my brilliant business partner reminds me, “Where you focus, the energy will follow.” Put your focus on the behaviors you want to encourage, not the behaviors you want to discourage.

2. Stories make you more relatable and trusted.

It’s human nature when being coached to be concerned that the coach is going to point out all the ways you’re doing something wrong. When coaches share stories about their own experiences of growth and learning, it creates a more positive environment and enables the team member to open up to the coach’s wisdom.

By knowing the coach has been at a similar place in their career and found ways to overcome challenges and create opportunities, a bond is more easily formed. When done with honesty, sincerity and even humor, you become more relatable and trusted as a coach.

Lisa with Ballroom Dance Champion and Coach Emilia, and Champion/Instructor Joel

3. Encouragement, when genuine, is motivational mana.

This may seem obvious, but it is often overlooked. The simple act of telling someone you believe in them, and in their potential, can change their whole perspective, including how they feel about their work. This is because when you tell someone they are valued and you see their greater potential, you tap into their higher level esteem and self-actualization needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy. This is truly a life force.

4. Goal setting is all about them and not about you.

If coaching is all about inspiring someone to achieve their full potential, then it’s important to understand how they view that potential, what they are personally aiming for, and what they are passionate about. It may not be the same as what you, as the leader and coach, want for them.

If there is a clear disconnect between what the team member wants and what you want as a leader, then that’s an issue that needs to be on the table. The most important thing is for each team member to be fully connected to themself, to their true passion and objectives, so they can honestly tell you where they want you to help take them and what they want you to help them achieve. If you help them connect to this deeper understanding, you will do a much better job of putting them in the right role in the organization and setting them up for success. Their success, of course, leads to your success.

5. Praise is the magic ingredient.

As with encouragement, praise empowers you to tap into the higher levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, fostering confidence and feelings of achievement and the respect of others. What sets praise apart is it’s recognition of all the work that has gone into getting the person to the point they are currently at. It’s about abundant acknowledgment of what they are doing well, and how this has come about through hard work, skill, and dedication.

Praise is a way of saying, “Thank you for all you have done,” which is truly a magical sentence to hear, particularly from those we hold in high esteem. It is an exceptionally strong and richly fertile foundation from which to grow the coach-coachee relationship!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Photo of Coach by axlape.

As a parent I see it affecting my daughters in middle and high school, both in their approach to their schoolwork and how they are perceived by their teachers. Though I can’t always smooth the waters for them, or clear the path, here are the ten things I wish their teachers – and all educators – knew about introverted students.

1. Introversion is about energy, not shyness or social aptitude

This continues to be an issue I spend a lot of time discussing because there is so much misunderstanding in the world about what it really means to be an introvert. Introverts get their energy – we fuel ourselves – through our inner world of ideas and images, memories and visions. We get drained in the outer world of people and activity, such as in your classroom. This is simply an innate reality for us and not something we have control over.

The extroverts you teach will be energized just by being in your classroom, because they fuel themselves through the energy of being around people and activity. If you misunderstand this innate reality and see your introverted students as shy or socially lacking, you will have misunderstood them from the get-go.

2. Introverts excel at individual and small group work

Because this is our comfort zone and where we are naturally energized, this is the environment in which we can easily do our best work. If you are giving us an assignment that requires us to immerse ourselves in images, ideas, memories and our perceptive inner world, like interpreting great literature, or being astutely analytical such as figuring out a geometry proof, don’t ask us to do it as part of a large group. You will get our best insights and analysis if you let us work alone or in very small groups.

3. Introverts have the capability to succeed in a large group setting, but it’s more draining for us

Just because our innate preference is to be alone or in small groups, it does not mean we cannot succeed in larger groups. We absolutely can, it’s just important for you to understand that it requires us to get out of our comfort zone and is energetically draining for us. Of course, it’s important that we learn to get out of our comfort zone in order to succeed in life, so large group activities will play an important role in our educational development.

However, please be mindful that getting out of our comfort zone is stressful and will impact students differently depending on their age. Consider limiting the time dedicated to large-group activities during any one class, and give us a clear role in the group to minimize stress. The more uncertainty you take away (which often comes in large-group activities when there is no clear leader or defined role/objective, or a lack of supervision by the teacher), especially at a younger age, the less stressful it is for us to be out of our comfort zone. If introverted students learn over time that they can be successful in this type of environment, even though it’s not their comfort zone, they will be more confident and adaptable as they move to college and then out into the world.

4. Introverts prefer time to think things through

We think “in our heads” unlike our extroverted fellow students who may think out loud. Thus, our fear of being called on in class, particularly with no warning. It’s not that we don’t have an opinion or the desire to share in class; it’s simply that we prefer time to mull things over in our heads.

Try asking a question and then telling the class you’re going to give them a minute to think it through. Then call on the extroverts. Then call on your introverted students. Chances are you’re going to get much more confident and insightful responses from the introverts this way because you honored their need for a bit of time for thoughtful consideration.

Note, this is probably one of the main reasons people misjudge us as shy – or worse, standoffish – throughout our entire lives. We stay quiet because we’re thinking in our heads, and end up being mislabeled.

5. Introverts love stories and excel at storytelling

Stories invite us to revel in the world of images and ideas we sincerely love, so give us the chance to do this as much as possible, and allow us the chance to share the stories in our heads with you. Introverted students will be more passionate about getting up in front of class to share a story than to recite historical facts, for example. If history is the topic, let us tell a story about something historical that happened and you’ll discover our ability to relay details and facts becomes much deeper and richer and allows us to shine. Encourage us to see this strength within us as much as possible and to work to hone it.

6. Introverts create strong one-on-one relationships throughout our lifetime

We’re the students with one very best friend, or a few close friends, because that’s the comfort zone of sharing our ideas and feelings and dreams. We learn early on in life how to create deeply genuine relationships and connections, which is an asset we’ll use throughout our life. (I am in no way implying extroverts can’t do this, I’m simply focusing on introverts.) It’s easy to misjudge us as socially unpopular or lacking because of this. Instead, encourage, recognize and honor this trait by asking your introverted students to mentor other kids who need personal guidance or by serving as an ambassador for the class/school/team, etc… They will fulfill the role brilliantly.

7. Introverts make exceptional leaders

I’ve seen counselors and teachers assign leaders based on a child’s outgoing nature rather than innate leadership ability. Introverts make exceptional leaders for a million reasons, but as students their ability to listen to ideas, share their passion for their own ideas, and gel with other students one-on-one gives them a natural ability to connect and inspire through their words and quiet actions. Please give your introverted students every opportunity to show you how they can lead.

8. If your introverted students raise their hand, it’s very important that you listen

If your introverted students step out of their comfort zone in your classroom (remember, just being there with all those other students drains them) to raise their hand, it means they’ve given great thought to what they want to say and genuinely want to be heard. If it’s at all possible to honor that request, please do so. As mentioned earlier, it may be well after you’ve introduced a thought because the introverts needed time to think it through, and you may be ready to move on to something else. However, if you can take that extra minute to give them the chance to contribute, it will go a long way toward encouraging future participation and to them feeling valued in your class.

9. Introverted students’ strengths should be appreciated and valued

When teaching through group activities, try to make part of the process to appreciate the diversity of strengths each student brought to the group. Naturally, your introverted students will probably have been quieter than the extroverts for all the reasons given above. Help your students learn to appreciate what each person contributed regardless of how much they participated verbally. Even quiet encouragement from an introverted student should be valued and recognized, as should one small idea that was shared. This helps both introverts and extroverts work well together throughout their lifetimes when they learn the importance of appreciating all forms of diversity.

10. Introverts should be encouraged to be more of who we are, never less

The most important thing you can do as an educator in the formative stages for your introverted students – speaking solely in regard to their introversion – is to encourage them to honor who they are. I have heard from executives who read my book and admitted to years of trying to pretend they were an extrovert, only looking foolish in the process. I cringe every time I hear someone say, “I’m trying to get over my introversion,” thinking that somehow being an extrovert will lead to more happiness or success. It won’t.

True success and joy in life come from a foundation that honors being more of who you are truly meant to be and less of who you are not. Help your students understand this and you’ll be setting them up for success in ways you never dreamed!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo of Classroom by evmaiden.

I cannot stress enough how highly I recommend this book for all leaders, particularly C-Level executives!

In my experience as Chief Relationship Officer at CEO Connection, I can honestly say most of the strategic challenges our member CEOs currently face involve global economic dynamics and uncertainties. So, I took the opportunity to ask Ram a few questions I knew were on the minds of the CEOs I work with. I genuinely hope you’ll find his insights valuable to you in your role:

1. What would you advise a CEO who understands the importance of the Global Tilt, but whose board includes members from Northern countries, including Japan, who are risk-averse and set in old-world, command and control belief systems?

If the CEO is committed to having the company take advantage of the global tilt, he or she has a few steps to take. First, he or she needs to think through and discuss with the management team the risk of not making a shift to take advantage of the global tilt, and share that view with the board. Second, the CEO and the team need to gather information and expert opinions, which they should also share with the board. Bringing in outside information should be continuous, at every board meeting. The CEO could arrange for the board to meet with people whose knowledge and opinions they value for a half hour at the dinner or breakfast before the board meeting. Those people could be CEOs of other companies, or one or two members of the board who have a different perspective but don’t get a chance to explain their views.

The term risk averse is a broad brush. Before any company makes an investment, they need to explore. Exploration has learning in it. The CEO needs to get his or her people to survey, explore, and identify opportunities and potential competitors, then get the board engaged.

It’s now common in America for boards to be actively involved in discussing strategic options for the future, their pro’s and con’s. In some companies, such discussions span two or three board meetings. They’re not one-way presentations of 200 PowerPoint slides that put the board to sleep. They are true dialogues, or conversations.

It’s the job of the CEO to do a balancing act between the short-term and long-term and risk and reward. Experimentation is a necessity for any company to build the future. Is there an option that requires the allocation of limited resources, so that the board can accept the possibility of its failure?

If the board is completely too conservative and is living in the past, consider bringing in one or two new board members who are respected by the existing directors but will help shift their mindset.

2. What kind of “compass” should today’s CEO use, knowing – as you eloquently demonstrate – that the rear view mirror of history can no longer serve as a guide since the Southern competitors are not playing by the same rules, following Northern models or seeking acceptance by the international business community?

I am absolutely clear that the executives of Northern companies must continue to live by their values even though they may have setbacks in operating in the South. Besides, the rules are never going to be totally uniform across the globe. Leaders have to learn how to navigate those inconsistencies without violating their values.

Recruiting the right people can help. If you’re going to have to deal with an uneven playing field, you can hire people who have experience doing it. They’re available.

3. How can a CEO of a US-based company allocate the resources needed for local, southern leadership, decision-making and initiatives knowing the US street is looking for short-term gains? How can US CEOs deftly handle this dilemma and move their boards, the street and investors to a longer term mentality?

CEOs who are totally focused on the short term and do not innovate or explore or invest in the short run to build the future will be shortening their own tenure and the longevity of their companies. Despite the felt pressure from short-term traders, CEOs must artfully balance the short term and the long term.

When they’re making a change in strategy, and when therefore they’re shifting the resource allocation, they must excel in all of these three things: 1. They must be extremely clear about where they’re going to play, how they’re going to play, and what resources they’re going to deploy—both people and money—quarter by quarter. Clarity and specificity are extremely important, even though the actions may be risky. 2. They must execute those actions as promised. Often top management does not spend enough time on executing flawlessly. 3. Some 70 percent of stocks of publicly traded companies are held by institutions. The CEO has to be extremely clear in communicating to these investors, laying out the answers to their questions, and building credibility by executing what’s been promised. Amazon.com has clearly demonstrated that investors will stay with you when they’re convinced that you are doing the right things. ~

Ram Charan is a world-renowned business advisor, author and speaker who has spent the past 35 years working with many top companies, CEOs, and boards of our time. In his work with companies including GE, MeadWestvaco, Bank of America, DuPont, Novartis, EMC, 3M, Verizon, Aditya Birla Group, Tata Group, GMR, Max Group, Yildiz Holdings, and Grupo RBS, he is known for cutting through the complexity of running a business in today’s fast changing environment to uncover the core business problem. His real-world solutions, shared with millions through his books and articles in top business publications, have been praised for being practical, relevant and highly actionable—the kind of advice you can use Monday morning.

Ram’s introduction to business came early while working in the family shoe shop in a small town in northern India, where he was raised. He earned an engineering degree in India and soon after took a job in Australia. When his talent for business was discovered, Ram was encouraged to develop it. He earned MBA and doctorate degrees from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with high distinction and was a Baker Scholar, then served on the faculties of Harvard Business School and Northwestern University before pursuing consulting full time.

Ram’s work takes him around the globe non-stop and gives him an unparalleled, up-to-date insider view of how economies and leading companies operate. Through keen observation and analysis, he forms powerful insights that help business leaders face their toughest challenges in the areas of growth, talent development, corporate governance, and profitability. His timely concrete advice is a powerful tool in navigating today’s uncertain business climate. Former Chairman of GE Jack Welch says Ram “has the rare ability to distill meaningful from meaningless and transfer it in a quiet, effective way without destroying confidences,” while Ivan Seidenberg, the former CEO of Verizon, calls Ram his “secret weapon.”

Ram has coached more than a dozen leaders who went on to become CEOs. He reaches many more up-and-coming business leaders through in-house executive education programs. His energetic, interactive teaching style has won him several awards, including the Bell Ringer award at GE’s famous Crotonville Institute and best teacher award at Northwestern. He was among BusinessWeek’s top ten resources for in-house executive development programs.

He has authored 15 books since 1998 that have sold over 2 million copies in more than a dozen languages. Execution, which he coauthored with former Honeywell CEO Larry Bossidy in 2002, was a #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller and spent more than 150 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He also has written for publications including Harvard Business Review, Fortune, BusinessWeek, Time, Chief Executive and USA TODAY.

Ram was elected a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and has served on the Blue Ribbon Commission on Corporate Governance. He has served on the boards of Hindalco in India, Emaar, Austin Industries, Tyco Electronics, and Fischer and Porter. His newest book, Global Tilt (Crown, February 2013), is a guide to leading your business through the radical shift in economic power currently underway.

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

It wasn’t in reference to Fortune 500 leaders or to any of the inspirational CEOs I work with. Instead, it was in reference to the “everyday leaders” in our lives; those we are supposed to be able to trust. A coach from a local high school who was fired from our high school many years ago and has held a grudge, so much so that he is trying to keep our best students from competing against his in a debate tournament. Another local coach who lost years ago in an important debate round to our coach – when they were teenagers for goodness sake, and who is doing the same thing to our team. A friend whose father embarrassed him miserably in a toast at his birthday party for “not following in his footsteps” and then put down his grandchild by dismissing her success.

Coaches, directors, parents, grandparents. The people we believe understand the importance of the examples they set every day in our lives and the lives of our children, friends and family members. We expect them to put aside their personal issues and rise to the occasion that their leadership demands.

And so often recently I see them failing us.

As I am not them, I can only guess what’s at the core of their bitterness, but I think it’s a pretty safe bet: insecurity. Insecurity blossoms when we hold on to a failure or loss that we experience and then internalize as “unworthiness.” We think we’re unworthy of success or respect, of that raise or promotion, or worse, of love. Instead of understanding the failure or loss and forgiving others and ourselves in order to move through it and past it, we hold it and all of its toxicity. This toxicity means doubt and fear are leaking into our minds and bodies, and sometimes we take this out on others, those whom we are meant to be leading and motivating and inspiring.

As humans we have a very clear set of needs, delineated beautifully by Maslow:

We can all see how insecurity can prevent every level of need from being met. I love how this graphic is very clear at the bottom: “Access to the higher levels requires satisfaction in the lower level needs.” We cannot become fully actualized if our lower level needs, including love and belonging and self-esteem are not being met. And sometimes, when we subconsciously recognize this, we try to bring others down with us rather than doing the work to raise ourselves up.

As humans, this is understandable but so sad. As leaders, this can be disastrous for everyone around us.

Let’s agree that as leaders we’ll work on ourselves in order to bring our fully actualized selves not only to our formal leadership roles, but to all the “everyday” roles we play as well. It’s the best way to honor ourselves, our followers, those who look up to us, and those we truly love.

~

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

What I always hear during the coffee breaks is how much they appreciate the chance to “take a step back” and reflect on how they’ve been executing in their role.

At the tail end of the most recent CEO Boot Camp, participants shared what was on their mind in regards to what they would do differently upon returning to their offices. I hope you find this peek into their minds revealing in some way:

1. Manage the Message

• This boot camp was a wakeup call that I wasn’t behaving like me. I know the right thing to do. The message I send in my usual manner sets the tone I need to send. I know the impact of decisions on others. I actually stepped out (of the session) and moved on one issue. Differently tomorrow doesn’t work for me. It’s different in the next hour.

• Want to re-craft future vision of the company.

• Tying vision to founder’s legacy is key.

• Carry messages of “noble intent” and “BRAVE (Behaviors, Relationships, Attitudes, Values, Environment) authenticity” -both coined by George Bradt at PrimeGenesis- to everyone. The deeper you can push that in the organization the better.

• Put a different lens on thinking about vision of the company. Intolerance of poor performance.

2. Manage the People

• Get the right people in the right seats on the bus. I’ve learned that ten times. But I haven’t learned it. I always know intuitively what to do. And then I don’t pull the trigger. I don’t want to admit failure on my own part when I can’t rehabilitate someone. Other times I value their experience. Got to get it done.
• Taking swift and decisive action. Will go forward with our RIF.
• Will move to have a mix of some new and some old people in the organization. Need to inject some new thoughts.
• Filling three senior level positions with the right people.

3. Manage Myself and My Time

• Delegation and not doing as much myself. Found the six part framework re delegation particularly valuable – put it in my notebook. REFERENCE: The six-part framework for delegation was created by George Bradt at PrimeGenesis-> Delegation Framework: Level 1 – do myself well Level 2 – do myself Level 3 – delegate and manage Level 4 – delegate Level 5 – not now Level 6 – not ever
• Must get much more external. Think about “world back.”

Did any of this surprise you? What types of insights do you typically gain when you “take a step back” from your day to day leadership activities?

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Photo of Time to Think by Lst1984.

Thomas Edison was born 166 years ago today, February 11th, 1847. The most prolific inventor in American history, according to The Thomas Edison Papers, he “amassed a record 1,093 patents covering key innovations and minor improvements in wide range of fields, including telecommunications, electric power, sound recording, motion pictures, primary and storage batteries, and mining and cement technology.”

Edison’s Great-Grandniece, Sarah Miller Caldicott, has written two exceptional books about Edison that I believe this community would find invaluable: “Innovate Like Edison” a brilliantly insightful map for any leader looking to make innovative strides in their market, and her newest book, “Midnight Lunch,” which reveals Edison’s secrets for creating successful, collaborative teams. Fast Company offered a nice summary of Edison’s four-phase collaborative approach that Caldicott details in her book. I strongly recommend both books to every leader here!

A New Era of Women Inventors

On the eve of this birthday-anniversary I had the great pleasure of speaking to Dhana Cohen, Co-Founder of the Women Inventorz Network. We talked about how it’s been 166 years since Edison’s birth, and yet most of us still think of inventors as “a guy with gray, wiry hair.” This image is perhaps more reminiscent of Einstein than Edison, but the stereotype remains.

And yet, many inventors today are women, often times creating products that would make their lives easier and provide a way to contribute financially to their families. But as Dhana learned years ago when she began inventing, there have been few resources for women inventors to help guide them on a fruitful path; one free of the “snakes and sharks” Dhana says tend to prey on women inventors, often misleading them in regard to start-up costs and the process of getting their products mass produced and to market.

Dhana and her Co-Founder, Melinda Knight, created the Women Inventorz Network to be a safe place for women to get the support, guidance and honest answers in regard to the three biggest challenges with inventing:

1. Financing the cost of getting to market

2. The right manufacturing process, including the best packaging for the product

3. Showing results in order to get into retailers or the right channel for the product

Through the Network women can talk to angel investors, manufacturers looking to license their equipment, and experts on channels such as “As Seen on TV” infomercials, QVC, Home Shopping Network who know how these companies work and will be honest with women about the process and the cost. As Dhana says, “Education is Key.”

The Ultimate Women Inventors Award

Part of the Women Inventorz Network’s mission is to inspire women to get started, and to uncover exciting new products. To fulfill this part of their mission, W.I.N. has created the “Next Big Zing Woman Inventor of the Year” award contest and gala event, taking place in Chicago next February, 2014. Women with inventions on the market or ready to go to market can apply for the honor of Woman Inventor of the Year. Each month of 2013 one woman and her invention will be chosen as the monthly winner, receiving pro-bono advice on everything from marketing to production, and making her eligible for the ultimate award. The gala event itself will include a day-long set of activities with industry experts available to all attendees.

What I found most exciting in talking with Dhana about women inventors was her description of them as, “highly confident, with a burning desire to succeed.” Who wouldn’t want to root for these women?! I encourage any woman with an invention idea and a desire to bring it to life to check into this exciting opportunity! It’s time to start encouraging women to follow their passion and make a difference as inventors! ~ (P.S. Happy Birthday and thank you for the inspiration, Mr. Edison!)

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo of Edison from The Thomas Edison Papers.

The CEO’s 2013 Leadership Pledge:

1. I will get the right people in the right roles. Immediately. Roles where they can leverage their strengths and still have room to grow.

2. I will happily shoulder the role of being Chief Steward of Values. Treating each employee with the respect due every human will be top priority; regardless of whether this is currently one of our “written/stated” values.

3. I will remind myself often, “It’s not about me.”

4. I will be attentive to the fact that everything I do, and not just what I say, sends a message. Employees will be watching me, as will customers, partners, competitors, “the street,” and leaders across industries. I accept the responsibility that accompanies this reality.

5. I will admit what I don’t know, if not to my team then at least to myself. I will seek answers and expertise and ensure my ego never gets in the way of my company’s success.

6. I will set every one of my employees up for success, with appropriate resources and opportunities for development.

7. I will make leadership development a priority, recognizing that leadership must be strong throughout the entire organization and not just at the top.

8. I will commit to giving feedback, both positive and instructive, on a regular and timely basis with the intent of nurturing success in every one of my team members.

9. I will recognize the impact of our company culture on the day-to-day lives of each employee, as well as the impact on our company brand, and will cultivate an environment that attracts the best talent in our industry.

10. Most importantly, I will create a clear and inspiring vision of where I am leading the company, and will communicate to every employee, partner and collaborator how important their role is in bringing this vision to life!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Photo of Leadership by Ed Gaillard.

As I wrote in my review and believe wholeheartedly, Chris does a masterful job of distilling the intricacies of leadership down to a critical truth: “There isn’t good or bad leadership…You are leading or you are not.”

This important truth forces people to look at their approach to leadership in a very honest light. He also encourages everyone to view themselves as a potential leader because, as he reminds us, you do not have to be the best at any particular skill to excel as a leader.

Most importantly, Chris reminds us all that the evolution of our world has led us to a place where the keys to leadership in business as well as the military include flexibility, the freedom to maneuver, and mutual trust between leader and followers.

As with Keni Thomas’s book, Get It On! What it Means to Lead the Way, about his experiences fighting in the horrific 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, there were so many leadership lessons from Chris’s military examples that made me think more expansively about business leadership.

The Source of Mutual Trust

The source of mutual trust between leader and followers is the belief that we have each other’s best interest at heart. I wanted to highlight this because Chris does a brilliant job throughout the book of giving examples of actions that tie back to creating this trust. In fact, he has a whole chapter on Getting to Know Your Staff that begins with this insightful quote:

“If motivated you will do it now, if inspired you will do it forever.”

One might think that the importance of getting to know your team is obvious, as would be the process to go about doing so. But I recently coached a woman who was invited, along with her boss, to meet with the executive two levels up (her boss’s boss). They were to discuss her career goals as part of a focused talent management program, helping high-potential employees to get the visibility and opportunities necessary to continue along their desired path.

When she and her boss got into the meeting with the higher-up, the executive started the conversation by telling her what he thought was best for her. He went on to explain to her all the reasons she should be motivated by various steps, and about his experience helping others “like her” move up in the organization. The woman was dumbfounded by the leader’s complete lack of interest in what she actually wanted, and what her very clear motivations were. Instead, he made the conversation all about him.

I suspect many of you know people just like this!

Chris does a fantastic job of talking leaders not only through how to get to know your staff, but yourself as well. He even devotes an entire chapter to “Learning Emotional State Control,” which is critical for leaders under stress (um, all of us!). His “how-to’s” truly set this book apart, and they’re written with the directness of a military officer who truly does have your best interest at heart!

I highly recommend The Leadership Secret to anyone looking to be the kind of leader people seek out and loyally follow!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Keep in mind that being an introvert means you get your energy from your inner world of ideas, thoughts, dreams and images instead of from the outer world of people and activities. Being an introvert does not mean you are shy or dislike social situations, although many people mistakenly believe this to be true. Since we introverts get our energy from within, we simply have an innate preference to be alone or in small groups because these environments “feed” us rather than drain our energy. However, we are fully capable of being dynamic, engaging and charming in large groups, we just need to recognize that these situations will drain us of our energy and we’ll need to recharge afterward!

The Introvert’s 2013 Business and Leadership Success Pledge:

1. I will schedule into my work day time to recharge, particularly on days when I’ll be in large meetings or around people who tend to drain my energy.

2. I will be open with my colleagues and boss about my introversion. I will let them know that periodically I will choose to have lunch alone or close my office door for 10 minutes simply to recharge, so I can bring a renewed self to my work. This will not only help me personally, it will make me a more effective colleague and leader, and will prevent my colleagues and boss from mistakenly thinking I’m not being a “team player” when I take time alone.

3. I will ask for one-on-one meetings with my boss and relevant colleagues prior to important/large meetings so I will have time to be aware of, and think through, issues and questions that may come up. This will give me the opportunity to do my own “inner world” brainstorming beforehand so I’ll be comfortable contributing during the meeting and will avoid feeling I’ve been “put on the spot.”

4. Given that my ideas and contributions need to be visible in my organization in order to move up the “ladder of success,” I will find organizationally appropriate ways to ensure this happens. I will make this a priority.

5. I will ask for what I want, even if that means getting out of my comfort zone, because there is great power and possibility when you ask for what you want.

6. Speaking of getting out of my comfort zone, I will get out of it in a BIG way at least once in 2013, knowing I will learn and grow through the process. (If you’re looking for ideas you can do what I’m doing and sign up for a week-long, national ballroom dance competition with 1000 other people in Las Vegas…light-years out of my comfort zone! Or perhaps you’ll choose something a little less crazy. :) )

7. I will remember that my natural tendency to “think/noodle on things inside my head,” and to take a while to respond when others ask me a question, can be misconstrued by my extroverted colleagues as not liking their ideas or not having an opinion. I will be conscious of this so I can be clear that I just need a minute to think through their question. This is particularly important during phone conversations.

8. When I am tempted not to go to important networking events, conferences and business parties I will choose to go anyway, knowing that relationships are a foundation of my success. I will reward myself with quiet, recharging time afterward and will discover that my life becomes richer in the process. (For more tips, see my Introvert’s Guide to Attending a Conference!)

9. I will honor my strengths. My inner world of ideas, thoughts and dreams makes me a brilliant visionary, strategist, creator, innovator and even storyteller. I will tap into all of these strengths this year and appreciate their power!

10. I will, once and for all, stop trying to be someone I’m not! I will stop trying to “get over” my introversion and will choose, instead, to celebrate the vast power it offers! I will stop thinking extroverts are somehow “better” than we introverts, or that they have more fun, and will acknowledge that true success, joy and happiness will come from being more of who I am meant to be!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo of Viaje a Xela by guillermogg.

I am fortunate to have Nick as a community neighbor and am personally familiar with the incredible job he has done supporting the local community, garnering unprecedented guest loyalty in the process. What I didn’t know until reading the book is the exceptional leader he is, and the phenomenal amount of work and strategy that goes into making the “Nick’s Experience” a true stand-out in the industry.

Purpose, Values, Moments of Magic and a Permeating Culture

The answer to the question of how you get your employees to do exactly what you want is simple but not easy; with each step critical and, generally speaking, poorly executed by most leaders and companies. In the book Nick does an exceptional job of providing guidance on each step:

1. You start by getting clear about what you want. This is actually the hardest step for many leaders!

What is your higher purpose for your business that you are leading? What is it that you and your team are creating that is your reason for being? That you’re wholly committed to? You need to know this in your soul so you can communicate it to your team and live it each and every day. Nick and his team are wholly committed to “The Nick’s Experience,” which they define as, “Our dedicated family provides this community an unforgettable place; to connect with your family and friends, to have fun, and to feel at home!”

2. You communicate that higher purpose to everyone, and commit to it incessantly.

As Nick has learned, the more you do this, the more your employees genuinely live it and exude it naturally in their behaviors. He gives very clear advice on how to do this in the book!

3. You determine and live by the Values that serve as the supporting structure to attain your higher purpose.

You, as the leader, become the steward of these Values. Your job is to live them 100%, each and every day, and to ensure that employees are held fully accountable to them. No exceptions. Nick does a masterful job of laying out a process for creating true organizational values that the entire company can rally around.

4. You tell employees exactly which behaviors you expect them to demonstrate as they live the Values.

This is the key that so many overlook – telling your employees exactly what it will look like when they are performing in a way that exudes the Values of the organization. Nick and his team created what they call “Moments of Magic.” These are clear, behavioral expectations that every team member is held accountable for performing, knowing that as the team executes these behaviors they create an experience full of magical moments:

• Greet everyone you see within five steps of you
• Greet everyone you see entering and exiting the restaurant
• Answer the phone within three rings
• Subjecting all behavior to the “Grandma Test” (Would she approve of what you’re doing/wearing, etc…?)

Having clearly defined “Moments of Magic” behaviors creates clarity in the organization…which is priceless!

5. You create a culture that rewards the above and permeates your employees’ life experience.

I love this example of one brilliant way Nick has created this: “We give team members Moment of Magic cards to hand out to others in the community when they see positive, helpful, altruistic behavior that’s consistent with the Nick’s Experience; printed on the card is a coupon for a free appetizer. On a superficial level, we’re giving prospective guests an incentive to try our restaurant while simultaneously empowering even the most junior team member to build sales. More deeply, we’re showing the community that we care about behavior victories, so that they become more frequent. Guess what? Our community appreciates the gesture! And they show their appreciation by becoming loyal guests.”

So, how do I know that what Nick has created is truly exceptional? Because in the depths of the recession he faced bankruptcy and did something most business leaders would never have the courage to do: he asked his customers to help him save his business. And save his business they did! The loyalty of his customers and community is simply astounding, and provides so many lessons for us as leaders. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any leader looking to take their business to an entirely new level in 2013!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

How do you want to do this through your leadership in 2013?

The resplendent allure of this question is that the world, for you, for each of us, is a clean slate as we embark upon a New Year. We can wash away the parts of us we want to transform and purify those we want to use virtuously as a leader.

What’s most important is the acknowledgement that as a leader we have the power to truly change the world – for good or for bad – by how we live our lives and fulfill our leadership roles. And here’s the key: how we live our lives and fulfill our leadership roles starts with how we see and love ourselves. It all starts inside us as we connect to our True Selves and lead from within.

It starts with loving ourselves first.

Think about those people and leaders in your life who are unhappy, struggling, intentionally or unintentionally hurting others. How many of them would see a transformation in their life simply by opening their hearts to love and fully accept themselves as they are? By feeling genuine gratitude for their life? By connecting to the purity of their soul they were born with and rediscovering the beauty within them? Not in an arrogant, selfish way but in a genuine way. I’m guessing every single one of them…

Keep these questions in mind when you look within yourself to define what kind of leader you want to be in 2013. Someone who has done the work to love and accept themself will bring a very different essence to their leadership role than someone who is struggling. Imagine the difference in passion, magnetism, charisma, service and loyalty! Imagine the difference in their ability to inspire, motivate, mentor and serve.

What kind of leader will you be in 2013? How will you impact and change the world? Envision yourself the leader you deeply wish to be, and then go make it so.

Wishing you a New Year full of great love, joy and dreams fulfilled!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post. BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo of Victoria Falls by Dietmar Temps.

The source of all your power is your connection to yourself, your True Self. For some, this is stating the obvious. For most of us, we have lived our lives not even knowing it was possible to be disconnected from our True Selves. And yet it is…all the layers of fear, doubt, insecurity and unworthiness come between the person we are living as and the person we are at our core being.

When you peel away these layers to unearth your soul, you find the purest energy: Love. Love is the most powerful and beautiful energy we can unleash – upon others and upon ourselves. And yet, so often in business I hear leaders today say they do not want to use the word, “love.” Do you want to know why? It’s because they are afraid to look weak.

How ironic, when love is the greatest power of all.

True love of country was the wellspring of power that Lincoln used to save our country and Joan d’Arc used to save France. True, overflowing love for humanity was within all of our religious leaders and civil rights leaders. And true love for what they do and create – and for their customers – drives brand loyalty for great companies like Apple, Zappos and Dunkin’ Donuts.

The planet is going through a transformation right now.

We all know this; we don’t need the Mayan Calendar to feel the winds of change. Whether you believe the world is about to explode (I don’t) or that the planet is experiencing a critical energetic shift (I do), there is one thing each of us can do as leaders to affect this change: unleash love. Stop suppressing love and putting walls around it out of fear that you’ll look weak or it won’t be reciprocated. You are a leader. The world is looking to you to lead.

Start by loving yourself unconditionally. Unearth your True Self and share You with the world. Watch how it transforms your ability to lead others – the shift is bound to be noticeable if you’ve been holding back.

Choose to raise the vibration of love in your life. It’s as simple as making the choice. If you think this sounds ridiculous, ask yourself what you’re really afraid of.

At this point in the history of the world, I don’t think we have anything to lose by unleashing love. Do you? If now is our time to “rediscover fire,” will you be one of the people who leads the way?

~

* Thank you to William Powell for bringing this truly captivating quote to my attention!

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Photo of Burning Love by olemartin.

What I have been saddened by very often is that some of the women who’ve been leaders in the women’s movement…they tried to get out there into these traditionally male jobs by being more male than the males. And that’s unfortunate, really unfortunate.

I can see why it happened, but I think the qualities women can bring into our society, you know…we are by nature, probably instinctively, more nurturing, compassionate, we’re good at finding solutions that don’t involve physical power … So if we can take those out into society it should be making a better world.

The critical message: women should be women, because there is power and immense value in being women. More simply, we should be ourselves every time. After all, we tell our children not to try to be someone they’re not, right? So why are so many of us under the impression that we need to act like men to succeed in the business world? Why spend our work day – in essence, a huge percentage of our lifetime – trying to be someone or something that we are not?

When we do this, we don’t honor ourselves. By suppressing half of ourselves, our feminine side, and magnifying our masculine side, we actually weaken ourselves because we are no longer in balance. And we don’t live as our True Self.

Can we afford such a sacrifice?

If you are a loyal reader you know I have spent the last seven months embarking on a new hobby (ballroom dancing) largely with the intention of expanding my feminine energy and power. You see, I recognized my own lack of balance within myself. I had to expand my feminine energy to regain my own equilibrium.

What I have discovered in the process is that the rewards for us women of embracing and expanding our feminine energy are colossal:

1. Our creative side begins to flourish and we create majestically

The journey my newly-unearthed creative side has taken me on is one of expansion and self-discovery. When men and women create – be it a dance, a company, a business plan, an entirely new industry – we are all in our feminine energy. When we unleash this energy there is simply no limit to what we can create.

2. We reap the vast rewards of empowering from love and gratitude

Love and gratitude have the highest vibrational energy. When you empower your team and everyone around you from a place of love and gratitude rather than from control or fear, or any other emotional state, you raise the energy of your workplace and your world.

3. We discover that reconnecting to how you feel provides a critical guidepost you’d been missing

Our feminine intuition is a trait that will serve us well when determining if we can trust new business partners and colleagues, and our gut instinct will keep us on the right path…if we listen closely and are truly connected to our inner self.

4. We feel more deeply connected to others and create stronger relationships

When we open ourselves up to truly connecting with other people we are tapping into our feminine energy. The more truly connected we feel, the stronger and longer-lasting our relationships, which are critical to our success in the business world.

5. We nurture our teams to grow, succeed, and to change the world

And in doing so, we leave a beautiful imprint on the planet.

In my own experience, the more time I spend “in my feminine energy” rather than suppressing it, the more whole and stronger I feel. As my business partner says, “Be You Every Time.” I know in my heart if we live this as women, we absolutely will be making a better world…because we will all be living as our True Selves.

We will be more of who we are meant to be and less of who we are not.

Video of Jane Goodall:

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

After all, your people are your most strategic asset. Your “secret sauce” without a brilliant team will get you nowhere. But how do you make sure you actually are “getting the people right?’

From my perspective, these are the five keys for you as a leader to make sure you’re leveraging:

1. Ask your people what they’re genuinely passionate about

I have discovered in recent years that at business and networking events one of the best ways to truly connect with executives is to ask them what they are passionate about. Yes, even the most stoic of executives will immediately smile, relax and illuminate as they connect with their inner self and reflect on what brings them the most joy in life. It’s that inner connection that is the key.

Use this same approach with your team members and everyone in your organization. Invest the time to discover what they are passionate about, and then go one step further and ask, “What is it about (sailing, for instance) that makes you so passionate?” In doing so, we receive clues to roles they will naturally excel in.

For example, answers such as “the teamwork involved,” “freedom,” and “the ability to chart my own course,” help leaders put team members in roles that provide them these same benefits and enable them to thrive. Taking the time to do this well shows you are truly committed to not only “getting the people right,” but also to empowering them to feel truly alive while at work.

2. Know the strengths of each team member

We all have weaknesses as humans that we bring to our jobs. Most stem from our fears, insecurities and struggles with jealousy and forgiveness. But the general consensus among CEOs seems to be that unless these flaws are “fatal” (harmful to others, the culture or the business environment), the main focus of development should be on honing and leveraging team member strengths.

If someone is an exceptional negotiator, put them in roles that provide opportunities for them to negotiate and to hone this skill. Great motivators will take groups of people who have been lacking motivation and turn them into inspired contributors. And leaders who are adept at leading by example should shepherd teams that may have been lacking an example. Here again, investing the time to think strategically about this is critical.

3. Set your people up for success

By giving your employees opportunities to be passionate about their work and to leverage their strengths you are certainly well on your way to setting them up for success. You complete the loop by ensuring they have proper resources and support to get their job done, and by providing them a clear leadership vision to work toward, a values-driven environment and a nurturing, empowering culture.

4. Let go of the people who are holding you back

It’s as simple as that.

The number one thing CEOs always say they wish they’d done sooner is move faster on talent decisions. If someone is resisting change, not adhering to organizational values, does not fit with the culture or is doing anything to hold back their peers, the team or the organization, you simply must let them go.

By letting this person go you set the rest of your team up for success. That is the power of this move.

5. Check in with your people often and re-address the first four keys

Make talent management a priority as a leader, this is not a one-shot deal. The organization will change, your industry will evolve, your people will grow… You must be committed to addressing and re-addressing the first four keys in order to consistently “get the people right.”

What did I leave out? What works for you to ensure you are “getting the people right?”

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

FOR SPEAKING & MAGNETIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAM INQUIRIES: LISA@CLEVELSTRATEGIES.COM

Photo of Business Meeting by thetaxhaven.

At this most recent dinner we had the CEO of a storied Chicago company offering his perspective on, “The five keys to being a successful CEO.” I found them insightful and candid and am honored to share them with you here:

1. You Have to Want to be CEO

While this may seem obvious, the reality is the job is not for everyone, and this particular CEO felt strongly that you cannot go into it for the title or the compensation. Instead, you have to be passionate about creating value for employees, customers and shareholders. As he remarked emotionally, “Every waking hour I am thinking about this company. When you get to that point, you feel the heartbeat of the company.”

2. Treat the First 90 Days Like a Blind Date

The first 90 days in any job are crucial; even more so in a CEO role with all eyes of the Board of Directors, employees and “the street” upon you. There is an element of risk involved when “putting yourself out there” for intense scrutiny. This gentleman advocated meeting one-on-one with every member of the Board and requesting a clear indication of their expectations of you in the role. Discerning whether or not you hear the same thing from each of them will give you a feel for how aligned or divided they are as a Board.

Acknowledging the degree to which they are truly aligned will better prepare you to work with them. And recognizing you have a very short time to make a stellar impression with the Board, your employees, and the street is your impetus for immediate action.

3. Own the Vision…Passionately

Not only do you have to own it passionately, you have to be able to clearly communicate it to every stakeholder. As the CEO stated candidly, “People will know if you believe in it. You cannot waver.” And if part of your vision includes changing the culture, appreciate that it will take you at least five years to do so.

4. Reflect the Light and Absorb the Heat

Great CEOs accept that they have full accountability for everything that happens in their company. This gentleman believes it is his role to ensure his employees get credit for “everything good that happens,” and that it falls on his shoulders to take the heat when someone makes a poor decision. “They have to know I have their back.”

5. Treat Your Board as Your Partner, Not Your Friend or Enemy

“I don’t care if they like me, but I do care if they respect me,” stated the CEO. “It’s far more important to be respected than it is to be liked. You cannot go through life as a leader worrying about if people like you or not.”

Remember that you represent the management team to the Board, so when meeting with the Board you are serving both groups. “Regardless of the conversation during Board meetings, he emphasized, “it’s vitally important that when we leave the room we’re united.”

As a leader, do these five advisements resonate with you?

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

FOR SPEAKING & MAGNETIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAM INQUIRIES: LISA@CLEVELSTRATEGIES.COM

Photo of Business success of a businessman by s_falkow.

* CEO Connection is the only membership organization in the world focused exclusively on mid market CEOs. The organization connects thousands of mid-market CEOs and rising CEOs with each other and to people, information and resources which will help them succeed. The average size of the companies they run is $1.8 billion in annual revenue and 7,600 employees. It is all about CEOs helping CEOs.

While it’s relevant to leaders at every level and stage of their career, I see this book being exceptionally valuable to Gen Y and leaders who are just beginning to take on leadership roles and responsibility. The reason? Early in one’s leadership experience it’s difficult to digest all the leadership wisdom that is available, so much must come through experience alone. But John does a brilliant job of sharing valuable wisdom in small bites, with critically important insight thrown in. For example:

• “If your boss is a bully, do not do anything without permission. Doing otherwise could jeopardize your career.”
• “Nothing will ever improve unless you make a decision to act.”
• “Saying ‘it’s not my job’ is a lame excuse…It sends the signal that you hold yourself above others. That is not only a failure of leadership, it is a lack of executive competency.”
• “Too much confidence is a toxic cocktail, one that can lead to the very long hangover we call hubris.”
• “Use passion as a lever to help individuals and teams do their jobs better.”

Additionally, I love how his chapters are “short, sweet, and to the point” and cover such universal leadership wisdom as:

• Put principle over policy
• Avoid Micromanaging Anything
• Deliver a Reason to be Urgent
• Hire for Character and Integrity

Finally, John has a series of chapters that guide leaders through important questions they should be asking themselves:

• What Are You Doing to Add Value?
• Are Your Employees Listening?

As well as chapters with practical, imperative advice, including:

• Managing When You Cannot Disclose Information
• How to Inspire Others
• Let Your Face Show You Are in Charge

The Leader’s Pocket Guide is a must-have for every leader and budding-leader who would value a go-to resource to help them in any leadership predicament. It’s like having your own personal leadership mentor or advisor in your pocket!

I can only wonder how it would have changed my leadership experiences if I’d had this wisdom years ago!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

This is because, ultimately, the way you lead is a reflection of who you are at your innermost level.

But sometimes we lose sight of – and connection to – who we are at our innermost level. What gets in our way includes layers of old belief systems that we adopted from others that were never ours to begin with, or emotions like jealousy and feelings of insecurity that we picked up along the way from others who are plagued with them, and strapped onto our backs. These layers of lack and negativity were not ours at our beginning, and they do not reflect who we are at our innermost level.

Eventually, if we want to lead as our True Selves, we have to let go of all of this baggage.

Life and Death

I have a friend who has an ambigram tattoo on his forearm; depending on how you look at it, it says either “Life” or “Death.” The juxtaposition of these words has a very personal meaning to him. When I look at it, I see “transformation.” I see death of the old self empowering life as the new self. And what’s fascinating to me is he is someone who helps people transform their lives in a very personal way.

So many of us today are seeking to transform ourselves as individuals and as leaders to a higher level of consciousness and effectiveness. To make a lasting difference in the world. In order to reach this goal we have to reconnect with who we truly are. We have to let go of what is no longer ours to carry, including old belief systems that hold us back, negativity from others, fears and, importantly, immersion in “lack” that takes the form of insecurity, jealousy, low expectations, false martyrdom and a glass-half-empty outlook on the world.

We have to recognize that we have everything within us, at our core, that we need to shine. We don’t need to try to be someone else or be linked to someone else to be worthy of success. We are worthy simply because of our divine nature.

This is terribly difficult to do. Oftentimes we become very comfortable in our own layers of lack or insecurity, and even comfortable with our fears because we recognize them as our own. But once we do the work - the exceptionally difficult and yet beautiful work - of letting go of these restrictive layers, of allowing what was not ours to die, we are finally free to give life to our new self.

To our True Self.

And then, to lead and change the world.

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

FOR SPEAKING & MAGNETIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAM INQUIRIES: LISA@CLEVELSTRATEGIES.COM

Photo of Life & Death by humble newbie.

Who you are as a person determines who you are as a leader.

This is an undeniable truth.

It’s not possible to be a visionary leader if you do not have the ability to connect to the vision that lies within you, cultivate it, and share it with others. You cannot be a magnanimous leader if your heart does not hold generosity. And you will not be seen as a leader of great character if your soul has lost touch with truth, integrity, humility, loyalty and faith, and has instead taken hold of arrogance, resentment, denial, blame, vanity, jealousy or feelings of victimization.

Thus, your ability to be a great leader not only lies within you, it must come directly from within you, finding its source in the fabric of your being.

To be a better, wiser, more effective leader you must start by looking within.

I feel so strongly about this truth that when the Lead Change Group, of which I am a member, decided to write a book together about character-based leadership, this is the topic on which I chose to write. As I stated in Chapter 5 of The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution One Person at a Time, “To be a leader of true character involves understanding who you are, within yourself, at your deepest and most personal level.”

I believe this is why so few of us ever become truly great leaders; so few of us are connected at our deepest level to our True Selves. Instead, our own truth is buried beneath layers of fear, feelings of unworthiness we pick up along our early journey, immersion in “lack” rather than abundance, and perhaps even a sense of victimization depending on life’s circumstances we have had to overcome.

If you are feeling deep down in your core that you are unworthy to lead, no matter how many leadership classes you go to you will find yourself unable to break through. If you are feeling a deep sense of victimization – of corporate circumstances, industry change, the economy, etc… then it will be almost impossible to motivate and inspire others. And if you have taken upon you a burden of lack, always perceiving the world as a “glass half empty,” finding and connecting with authentic purpose will be elusive.

Instigating a Leadership Revolution

In the book, I focused on three leaders who I believe were strongly connected to who they were at their deepest, most personal level. These are men who very easily due to circumstances could have viewed themselves as unworthy to lead, unsure of their purpose, and unlikely to inspire great change in the world. Yet all three of them were so connected to who they were, what they stood for, and the vision they wanted to bring to life. They overcame great obstacles in order to ignite great change in the world, obstacles that, quite frankly, would have toppled others. Two of them you are very familiar with and one of them will be an inspirational new example of persistence and authenticity.

As I state in my chapter, “Leading by transforming from within, and encouraging others to transform from within, is genuinely at the core of Character-Based Leadership.” It’s where you must start.

I hope you will join me and my 20 Lead Change co-authors, for whom I have an overwhelming amount of respect, as we instigate a leadership revolution, one person at a time! You may buy the book at www.CharacterBasedLeader.com!

Photo of The Adoration of St. Joan of Arc by Isara.

~

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks! Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

As a result, leadership development and succession planning are more critical than ever.

Dan McCarthy, author of the Great Leadership Blog, has written a stellar new eBook to help companies of all sizes “identify and develop their current and future leaders.” The eBook, “The Great Leadership Development and Succession Planning Kit” is a must-read resource for companies who are serious about making leadership development and succession planning a priority.

What I love about this eBook is it can be used by a variety of leaders in a variety of ways. It covers the entire process from building a business case for leadership development and succession planning initiatives to developing a competency model the entire organization can support, to the actual leadership skills that should be developed within each competency and how to create your own individual development plan (IDP). Thus, it can be used by human resource executives to create a leadership development program from scratch, and by leaders at all levels of the organization to develop their teams.

Here are a few of my favorite nuggets of Dan’s wisdom from the book:

1. Create a Leadership Development Vision and Mission

Given this blog is focused on “Visionary Leadership” I am obviously biased, but this is the step that ties all of your initiatives together, yet the step few companies are smart enough to take. You see, creating the vision of what the organization will look like and act like when you have successfully developed leaders at all levels of the organization will “get everyone in the same boat rowing in the same direction.”

This becomes particularly important when you hit bumps along the way or in financial quarters where profits may be down and it’s tempting to save expenses. A clearly defined and communicated vision of how exceptional the organization will be with highly developed leadership, particularly relative to the competition, will ensure these initiatives remain a top priority in the organization. The fact that Dan is a champion of this step is a testament to this eBook standing out as a critical resource unlike any other.

2. Know what Great leadership Looks Like

I agree with Dan completely that, “It’s important to clearly define the critical leadership competencies that are required now and in the future in order for the business to succeed.” As one of the co-authors of the just-released book, “The Character Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution One Person at a Time,” I’m obviously biased in my belief that character forms the cornerstone of these competencies. Its importance in today’s business world cannot be overlooked.

Each company will need to assess additional core competencies that will drive business success, engender employee loyalty, and support their organizational culture.

3. Know Where You Stand Against the Target – Seek out Feedback

There is no perfect leader as we are all mere mortals. Yet we can aim to be exceptional leaders and seek out feedback on our progress. Dan recommends “360 degree” feedback programs where co-workers can provide feedback anonymously, and ongoing solicitation of feedback in your work environment. At the same time, he points out wisely that, “While feedback is one of the most powerful sources of development, unfortunately, it’s often lacking. First of all, managers just aren’t good at it. In fact, most people aren’t comfortable giving feedback. That, combined with our own natural emotional response to feedback (fight or flight), we often don’t get enough of it. And it gets worse the higher we get in an organization.”

This is one of the reasons I am such a tremendous advocate of the Magnetic Leadership Program: it provides a simulated environment in which your natural leadership approach is revealed, followed by facilitated feedback from your simulation team and immediate professional coaching on how to apply these leadership lessons back in your job and career. You get the feedback you need in a setting that is safe, fun, encouraging and nurturing all at once.

These are just the top three nuggets of wisdom I gleaned from Dan’s invaluable new eBook. At $7.99 it’s the best investment you’ll make toward creating a Leadership Development & Succession Planning program in your company or for your team! I highly recommend it!

~

Lisa’s Books:

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” -> Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks! Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format.

Co-Author: The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution One Person at a Time…

The Character-Based Leader is a must-read for anyone who realizes that leading from who you are (rather than your position) is the key to longevity and satisfaction in any leadership role.

Written by 21 volunteer members of the Lead Change Group, this book will challenge and inspire you to take ACTION and Lead Change! Read more

What brought us all back together was the heart of leadership - vision and values.

The leader – whether it be of our country, a religion, the company you work for, or the company you’re creating, is responsible for setting and clearly communicating a vision of where the organization is headed under their leadership, and the values to which members will be held accountable.

Without a vision you have no idea where you’re headed. Without values there is no accountability, which may lead to a weakening of personal responsibility and erosion of the culture on which the organization was founded (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your perspective). On this, we all agreed.

Thus, the heart of your leadership beats with the passion of your vision and the conviction of your values.

The implications and responsibility associated with this realization are enormous, which is why very few people are truly brilliant leaders. Think about your own leadership…could those who follow you clearly articulate your vision and values? Do you even know their rhythm yourself?

What about as a follower? Do you recognize the values that are of critical importance to you in the organizations you work for and with?

I believe it’s exceptionally important that we not only connect to our passion and conviction as a leader, but align our values with whom and where we spend our time, pledge our loyalty, and invest our money:

• If you feel the organization you work for is not living up to the values they tout, if there are no core values, or if values exist but employees are not held accountable to these values, seriously consider finding an organization where the values align with your core values, and are lived and held in high regard.
• If you are starting your own company, know and record the values on which you will build it. Be open with everyone you hire about the values to which you ascribe and to which you will hold them accountable. Share these values with every partner and customer and live them every single day. My business card tells people how I am living my values in my role at To Be A Woman. I strive to live up to them every single day.
• If there are businesses you frequently visit, and where you spend a significant percentage of your time or money, get to know the company values. Do they represent your own values? Do they invest in your community?

I wanted to share the following example of a company that knows what it stands for, shares its conviction openly, and is willing to be held accountable… You see, I had the misfortune of a damaged car key that led me to spend some time in the service department of my local car dealership a few days ago, but the great fortune to see their Core Values visibly posted for customers to see:

1. Continuously create opportunities for our employees and their families to excel economically, professionally and personally

2. Never let a teammate fail

3. Everyone who comes in contact with our organization is our customer. (VERY insightful!)

4. Exceeding customer expectations is the way we do business.

5. Our employees, our facility, and the environment we create reflect our professionalism and commitment to these values.

Impressive. And then at the bottom they have one of the most critical components that most companies miss: It states very clearly, “Core values are the organization’s essential and enduring tenets, not to be compromised for financial gain or short-term expediency.”

The employees of the dealership lived these values while I was there; further solidifying my loyalty to the company that I already knew is highly invested in my local community.

This is just one example. Could I write an example like this about your company? Could I easily identify and write about your passionate vision and the conviction of your values?

Look at the heart of your own leadership. Do you feel passion and conviction in your vision and values as they flow from your heart? Are you even in touch with them at all? If not, you have important work to do. Because the full power of your leadership will always start within you…

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks! Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo of With My Heart on My Hand by Wolfsoul. Wickstrom photo by me.

During the course of just two days participants get a very clear understanding of their:

• Leadership style
• Leadership strengths
• Areas that need development

They do this through a real-world simulation that grows in complexity and puts them under stress, revealing their natural leadership style, followed immediately by one-one-one coaching on their style, strengths, and areas of opportunity – something that puts the Magnetic Leadership Program in a class by itself. I’m privileged to be one of the coaches for this program, and during a recent program at a Fortune 500 company a participant asked me, “What do I need to focus on to become CEO? What do the CEOs that you work with at CEO Connection all have in common?”

I told this gentleman that in addition to being an exceptional leader, to get all the way to the CEO job you need to be sure:

1. You are visible in the organization

2. Your ideas and contributions are visible in the organization

But then, once these two objectives are accomplished, there is the “X-Factor:” the one thing that will take you into the C-Suite and then elevate you above other C-Suite executives to the CEO role: your leadership style.

In reflecting on the different styles that I have seen come to light during the Magnetic Leadership Program, I identified seven:

1. Confident: Regardless of the situation this leader’s demeanor, tone and energy exude confidence that goals will be met, and trust in their team.

2. Calm and Reassuring: In the face of increasing stress, this leader’s calm, reassuring demeanor keeps the entire team focused on the tasks at hand.

3. High-Strung: This leader’s demeanor shows all the stress of the situation and the tension they exude is easily transferred to team members.

4. Cheerleader: Excellent at motivating a team and encouraging team members individually. When their team is under stress some team members may need these leaders to step back so they may focus, while other team members want to feel their presence.

5. Complainer/Whiner: As a defense mechanism against being thought of as a poor leader, these individuals point out all the reasons the situation is a challenge and make excuses as to why goals can’t be met. Team members often begin to subtly distance themselves.

6. Tentative: As decision points pop up, they are consistently unsure about what to do. These individuals often try exceptionally hard and work hard, but their team loses trust.

7. Disorganized: These leaders may have the best of intentions, but their inability to keep track of key information, data, deadlines and tasks at hand undermines their ability to lead their team successfully.

It’s not difficult to figure out the leadership style I see in virtually all the CEOs I work with is that of confidence. They are under constant, intense pressure, travel often, and must make critical decisions every day, but they exude – through their energy, tone, and demeanor – confidence through it all. Team members have no doubt that their leader firmly believes goals can and will be met, and they know their leader trusts them implicitly to get the job done. As a result, trust is mutual and unwavering. It’s when confidence and trust wane that CEOs find themselves on the way out.

Lisa Coaching a Magnetic Leadership Program

Which of these is your natural leadership style?

To learn more about the Magnetic Leadership Program or to bring the program to your company, email me at Lisa@CLevelStrategies.com.

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks! Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo of the Roman Numeral X by chrisinplymouth.

She said she could tell I was tempering my happiness, so during my flight home I pondered what would cause me to do such a thing. The answer came in those three words mentioned above: “all things considered.” My concern for friends and loved ones going through difficult times came to mind, along with the everyday challenges we all face in our careers. And I realized something that was critically affecting my life:

I wasn’t giving myself permission to simply be happy – entirely, wholly, utterly happy. Instead, I was giving permission to these other factors swirling around me to temper my personal happiness out of a sense of guilt, responsibility and maybe even a smidgen of fear. In my head, this sounded a bit like: “How could I be happy when people I love were going through difficult times? How could I be happy when there was so much to do at work? If I allow myself complete happiness, won’t that mean I’ll stop trying so hard?”

These thoughts are irrational in every way, but how many of you have thought them as well? Exactly.

This is why I believe it’s more important than ever, as our world grows in complexity and level of stress, that we simply choose to be happy without any reservation. It’s time to give ourselves permission to be happy, because no one else is going to do this for us.

• We need to stop waiting for the planets to align or for someone else to do something that seemingly justifies our own happiness
• We need to stop waiting for business conditions to be perfect and thus justify our happiness
• We need to recognize situations where we unknowingly give other people permission to keep us down. It’s important to understand that no one can keep us down without our permission…this is an inner, human truth. We can always rise above.
• We need to let go of any guilt we have about being happy or about being successful. Here’s the thing: there is enough success and happiness in this world to go around for everyone! We do not need to minimize our own happiness or success in the hopes others will benefit. They won’t, because as individuals we control our own destiny in regard to happiness and our definition of success. Dimming our own light simply dims the amazing impact we can have on the planet by shining it radiantly! Imagine if we all chose to be happy…
• Giving yourself permission to do something is freeing. When I realized what was happening and gave myself permission to just be happy, I felt luminously free.

As leaders, we are used to giving other people permission. Honor yourself, and everyone around you, by giving yourself permission to by happy. Choose happiness and change your life. Transform your life, and then watch how your leadership transforms as well!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Amazon Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Release, and the inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks! Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo by L. Marie.

• Trust
• Positioning
• Distance
• Energy
• Listening
• Attitude
• Openness/Adventurousness

…I missed an essential ingredient: Connection.

Maintaining a connection is something we tend to think about in family and romantic relationships, but not typically something we consider important in regard to our career.

However, based on what I’ve learned recently, I think it’s the absolute starting point in every leader-follower relationship. It’s the foundation on which the other attributes of followership may build.

Let me explain… Last week during one of my classes as my instructor Joel and I were tangoing, I got in his way several times and stopped dancing out of frustration. “I’m so sorry, I am clearly not following you,” I remarked to Joel. “You’re actually doing the steps correctly,” he responded, “but you’re so focused on them, and trying to anticipate what is coming next, that you’re not connected to me.” He was right. We may have been physically connected, but none of my energy or attention had been with him. As a result, even though I was technically executing, the dance was a mess. We didn’t have our solid foundation on which to build.

Connection as leader-follower, and in any relationship, involves:

• Being fully in the present moment rather than getting ahead of ourselves (Be honest with yourself about how often you do this!)
• Being fully connected to yourself (this is essential, don’t overlook it)
• Being aware of the energy between you and the other person – where it’s centered and what it’s made up of (Anger? Trust? Jealousy? Loyalty? Excitement?). Important note: if the energy is negative, we will need to transform it if we want to be a masterful team.
• Giving our full attention to the leader/our partner (there will always be distractions, how we handle them is a reflection of our focus)
• Being prepared for, and receptive to, both the overt and subtle cues the leader will give us in regard to vision, direction and strategy

Once we are fully connected in our leader-follower roles, we have a foundation on which to build. Trust, energy, openness and attitude can emerge from within. We will be mutually empowered to listen to each other and to be aware of proper distance and positioning. Amazingly enough, I’ve learned that when I’m fully connected as a follower, both my job and the leader’s job are abundantly easier!

Just as dancing is an art, so too is leading and following. We can execute our strategic plan and still miss our objectives if we get disconnected along the way – from ourselves or from our leader. This is because we’ll miss the cues along the way: the directional changes, adjustments due to unforeseen circumstances, and new strategies that pop-up unexpectedly.

If you were ever in a role where you thought you were executing your strategies brilliantly but ended up off course or off on your own, this is very likely what happened to you! And if you’re a leader who is wondering why your followers seem “out in left field,” ask yourself if you’ve focused on your connection to them, and if you make it easy for others to feel connected to you as their leader.

How will you hone your connection as leader-follower?

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

Are you an introvert looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership or an extrovert interested in leading introverts more effectively? I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Now an Amazon Best Seller, Hot New Release, and Kindle promotion in July 2012. The inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo of Ballroom Dancing I by npmeijer.

When we are physically affected in a negative way by others’ success and happiness, there are three critical questions we should ask ourselves:

1. What does this mean for me in regard to how I feel about my own accomplishments?

We have to be very honest with ourselves about this one and determine if our reaction is actually a reflection of not feeling fulfilled by our own work, not reaching our goals or bringing our dreams and leadership vision to life. If the truth is there is an underlying feeling of lack in our life, we have to address it head-on in order to release the energy of lack and move toward abundance.

2. Is there something about my relationship with this person that triggered my reaction?

If the same news had been about someone else and we would have reacted nonchalantly, then chances are our reaction is related to our relationship with this person. Do we need to forgive them, or “let them go” in some way? Holding onto negative feelings hurts us dramatically; releasing these feelings is crucial to moving forward.

Or is there a quality this person has that we don’t see in ourselves which triggers a sense of unworthiness? This is another form of “lack” that we must move beyond, starting by asking why we don’t see it in ourselves. Often we become blind to the spectacular beauty that lies within us, to the array of qualities and strengths we have that may even lie dormant out of fear. A journey of discovery about our True Selves can be absolutely transformational.

3. What does my reaction mean about my connection to myself, particularly as a leader?

If we feel jealous of other leaders we must ask ourselves if we’ve lost a connection to our core…to our soul and our Higher Purpose. Maybe the truth is we never connected to it in the first place. If this is the case, this is the work we must do – we must connect and reconnect. Because once we are truly connected to ourselves, and once we know in our hearts that we are living our own personal True Path, then other people’s success will make us feel genuinely happy. Because when we are genuinely fulfilled we recognize this feeling in others and we instinctively celebrate it.

I wholeheartedly believe there is enough success in the Universe to go around for everyone. After all, we each have different dreams. There is nothing stopping us from making every one of them come true.

If you’re feeling jealous answer the three questions above, and then go live your dream!

~

The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership

For introverts looking to use your introversion to your advantage in business & leadership and for extroverts interested in leading introverts more effectively: I wrote this eBook for you…

“The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” eBook is NOW Available! Now an Amazon Best Seller, Hot New Release, and Kindle promotion in July 2012. The inspiration behind my Harvard Business Review article! Featured on Huffington Post.

BUY Now on Amazon for Kindle or Buy it at B&N for Nook! Also available on iBooks!

Click here to DOWNLOAD in PDF format. Thank you!

Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.

Photo of Jealous Princess by trixOr.