Gifted Leaders

To Lead, Create a SHARED Vision

"The greatest good that we can do to others is not to transmit our riches to them, but to discover theirs." -Louis Lavelle

In a recent article, "To Lead, Create a Shared Vision", author and leadership expert Jim Kouzes shares the following:

Somehow, through all the talk over the years about the importance of vision, many leaders have reached the unfortunate conclusion that they as individuals must be visionaries. They've taken to posing as emissaries from the future, dictating how their organizations will be transformed.

Bad idea! This is not what people want. Yes, leaders must ask, "What’s new? What’s next? What’s better?" - but they can't present answers that are only theirs. People want visions of the future that reflect their own aspirations. They want to hear how their dreams will come true and their hopes will be fulfilled.

Kouzes notes that "what leaders struggle with most is communicating an image of the future that draws others in - that speaks to what others see and feel." The best way to lead people into the future is to connect with them deeply in the present. The only visions that take hold are shared visions - and you will create them only when you listen very, very closely to others, appreciate their hopes, and attend to their needs.

What is your team's shared vision?  How can you facilitate its creation or re-creation?

It's Not How You Start, It's How You Finish

"As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." – Nelson Mandela

My good friend Lou Gatto shared this link recently. The next time you think you’re having a rough day, watch this YouTube video to help gain some perspective. Nick Vujicic, born with no limbs, faces obstacles every day of his life. But it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Nick has made a choice to be happy in spite of his circumstances.  You and I can too!

Watch the video and be inspired like Lou and I were.

What choice do you need to make?

Paint-by-the-Numbers or a Blank Canvas: It’s Your Choice

"We all make choices about how we live our lives. You can take a paint-by-the-numbers approach, or you can start with a blank canvas. When you paint by the numbers, the end result is guaranteed. You know what it's going to be, and it might be good, but it will never be a masterpiece. Starting with a blank canvas is the only way to get a masterpiece, but you could also blow up." - Jim Collins

I read this in a recent interview with Jim Collins on Inc.com. I was challenged to think about my life in these terms and as much as I'd like to believe I've been working with a blank canvas, I've done a lot of paint-by-the numbers in my 50+ years on the planet. I suspect many of you would have to admit the same thing.

I think, though, that we all have the potential to be a masterpiece and the thing that's holding us back is fear.  Fear of failure, fear of being vulnerable, fear of being misunderstood, fear of rejection, etc, etc, etc. So I get to ask myself, "What's it going to take for me to overcome my fear and choose courage instead?"

So how about you, are you going to pick the paint-by-numbers kit or the blank canvas?

To Be Successful, Pay Attention to Your Calling

"To succeed you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you." – Tony Dorsett

According to author and coach, Richard Leider, "Success in the new era will be characterized by those who heed their own call and who lead others to heed their call."  He describes calling as the inner urge to get up and give your gifts away and defines it as what lies at the nexus of four things ...

1. Gifts - your natural strengths
2. Passions - those things that naturally inspire you
3. Values - that voice within that assures you of what is right
4. Will - the energy to get up and act

What is your calling?