The Power of Sharing

One thing I love to do is share - this can be called collaboration, mentoring, connecting...at the end of the day - it truly is sharing.

Why?

Because it is not about me.  What I share is truly about what triggers something in my brain and/or my heart and I believe that it will resonate with my audience.

Some things that I share:

• Seth Godin blog posts - usually everyday through LinkedIn
• articles
• invites on email for webinars - may have been sent to me, but I think others may want to join too.
• Gaping Void - love Hugh's take on the world and it helps me see a different perspective + creativity ROCKS!!
• Triberr.com - this was shared with me by Todd Neilsen during a blogathon & I still use it, finding really cool things to share, and others share my stuff too.
• Todd Nielsen - I like what he says about leadership - and he is a real person, who knows what it means to reach out.

There is a lot more....you can see it on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and of course, in email boxes all around!

What do you share & why?

Human Observation

I teach an elective at the local college  - 2 sections, once per week.  Last week was mid-term test time.  After weeks of preparation, explanation and reminders, the day arrived.

Students arrived to write the test in an flurry of excitement (everyone was actually on time and waiting for the door to open from the class before to  get settle in).  They also arrived in various states of preparedness for this open book mid-term worth 20% of their mark.

As the test progressed, through the first section & then through the second, I made some very clear observations of the class that I applied as I examined myself:

• am I prepared or not?
• for class
• for my clients
• for my family
• for my day, week, month or year
• do I attend?
• yes
• no
• am I present if I do attend?
• ready to listen
• ready to take notes
• ready to participate
• ready to absorb

Then of course, I started to question myself - how did I get here?  How did this evolve in my life?  How can I help the students I work with see this in their very immediate future?  Let's face it - this will impact them for the rest of their lives...in their jobs (current & future), in their community & in their family.

Now, I use this and check in with me before I venture off to the next person/place/thing on  my list.

Ban Bossy

Banbossy.com

I was sent this great website by my friend Martha Reavley from the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor.  Having some time to finally sit for a minute, I reviewed the site.  

I felt validated. (I have long been known as the bossy middle child, with an array of nicknames including Scary, Ice Princess, Bossy Pants and more.....I know that because you can't always make out what people call you when they are mumbling!)

I felt that I was - and still am - on the right track. (I learned that it's who I am & what I believe & how I act that makes me, me.)

I feel that there is more to this than meets the eye, Margaret Wente.  (There is a saying - sticks and stones may break my bones but words can hurt forever.)

This ban bossy movement is really about the terms that are used to hit where it hurts.  This does not need to be gender-specific....boys can hurt too.  

Facebook's Sheryl Sanderg is rolling ahead at banbossy.com with ideas and strategies to help the Girl Scout groups take charge of helping girls learn about self-esteem and what it truly means to be a leader. 

It's not about 'sucking it up', most of the time, we don't know this is happening to us at that age, because we don't know what we don't know

Banbossy.com about providing resources, teaching skills and developing the leader from within instead of waiting for the worst to happen and hoping that they will rise from adversity (because fact is, sometimes we/they don't!).

While this is aimed at girls, the words are the same for boys...and anyone else who says 'you can't'.