How Would You Lead If You Were Not Afraid?

This is a guest blog post from my friend & fellow blogger Frank Abbruzzese.  You can follow his blog at  Building Circles - focusing on connecting and leading in your circle of influence.

Imagine if you were not afraid of anything.  Just think about what you would do differently.   What holds you back?   Even successful and great leaders have some fear.    Overcoming this fear and taking the chance to move it aside or deal with the consequences can help you become a more effective leader.

We tend to fall into two general “fear” categories:   afraid of failure or afraid of success.   Think about this for a moment……which one do you fall in?   

I am afraid of failure.   This is the biggest self-motivator in all that I do.    I’m still learning to say no if there is a good chance of complete failure.    Yes, we understand we must make some mistakes, we do fail from time to time and these experiences make us better and more successful.   

Now we cannot be effective leaders by waiting and weighing all the facts by delaying decisions or making non-decisions.   Effective leaders step up, take a snapshot and make a decision to lead successful for the team and for everyone’ best interest.   Making the tough decisions while understanding there may be resistant and even confrontation to those decisions.   Leadership is not about pleasing everyone.   Effective leadership is keeping the best overall interest of everyone in mind.

One of the biggest leadership decisions I have made, once I was not afraid, was to “move the cheese”.  (I did not even know I could move the cheese).  As I led to go find the “new cheese”, I was followed by the team.   Very happy to report had this decision not been made we would have been left behind with “no cheese”.    

Frank Abbruzzese

Follow Frank on Twitter @frankabbruzzese

The Cornucopia

So in Canada, it is Thanksgiving.
A nice long weekend....and time to reflect on what we are truly grateful for in our lives.

As leaders, this time is the perfect opportunity to share with your team; your colleagues and those in your closest circle how you feel about them.  Does this sound kind of mushy?  Yes.....I am sure it does.  So how do you help others know what they mean to you?  Here are a few ideas:

1. a personal thank you - note, email, text message (for those who can't do the face to face)
2. a group thank you and review of accomplishments so far
3. a face-to-face thank you - with a big smile
4. wishes for a great weekend -individually with a quick discussion on what the weekend holds

Take your own time to think of the cornucopia of blessings you have - Happy Thanksgiving.

I am grateful for you - my blog-readers and so much more!

You Never Know

Let's take a walk with this chick....
On precarious, skinny legs, this chick looks like it is running full speed ahead....
Do you think the chick knew it could go that fast?
Do you think the chick thought it could move forward at all?
Do you think the chick was ever told it could not move like it is?

With those crazy little wings out for balance, the chick is speeding along.

When was the last time you took the chick's approach to forward momentum?
When was the last time you didn't look back and decided to do something for yourself?

When will the next time be that you simply TRY?

Shift Happens

The journey can sometimes take us to unexpected places.
The people you meet along the way can help you find who you really are because they actually see you from the outside in. (We see ourselves from the inside out....and frankly, we live with ourselves so long our view is kind of jaded)

In the last few months, I have been finding myself shifting.....learning from what is shared with me, how people view what I do and how I do it; with whom I interact and partner; the outcome of those relationships or steps that take place therein.

All of this shifting has lead to solidifying my understanding and focus - sounds weird as I have been doing this for 4 years....but it takes time to hone things so that you are well aligned to move forward.

The shift has also come in image format - soon to be unveiled with a new website and in social networks....making this big shift came upon me without my knowing - it truly was a light bulb....and I thank those around me for creating the light that led the way.

What shifts have you made lately?  What shifts are you planning in the future?
How will you handle the shifts that come when you are not really paying attention??

Beware of.....Yourself

Yesterday I finally hit the road for a run....my first one in a month.....and I discovered the following things....

1. beware of the permission others give you to NOT do something, it can be easily translated into giving yourself permission to NOT do it too.
2. beware of not giving yourself time for YOU.....my run yesterday was 'ME' time....I didn't realize how much I missed it until I was out there having a great time
3. beware of the how you let yourself overlook the obvious.....even when told by others that you need to be careful or more observant or just simply aware of who you work with, who you partner with and of course, who you allow into your life
4. beware of yourself.....keep yourself in check and focused on what you want; what you want to do and the way in which you do it....straying can lead to irreparable damage.

So why the birthday cake....well it was my Mom's 70th birthday yesterday and today is my Godmother's birthday  - 2 strong women who have influenced me greatly.  I owe it to them, as well as myself, to be sure that I continue to hit the road for my ME time, and be focused on the values and mission that they helped to carve out for me.

25 Qualities of a Leader

I surf a lot!   As a Leadership Coach, I know I need to be fresh and creative, be open to looking around for inspiration and solutions.  So I thought, today I would share what I found.

Those of you who know me know I love Zappos.com and Delivering Happiness for inspiration as well as great reading material.

Here is a blog link to a great post by Amy Frost focusing on 25 qualities in a leader...with a twist.
Amy is quick to explain that this leader exists in a happy and thriving workplace....funny how the attitude of the leader is reflected in the workplace team......makes you think, right?

Enjoy!

Actionable Books

Chris Taylor
Twitter: @ChrisTaylorGEMi

Taking time to reconnect with a mentor this weekend, she introduced me to Actionable Books.  Although I had heard of this, I had never spent time investigating it.  Now it is all I can do to focus on work and not surf through all of the summaries.

THIS IS A SUPER SITE:  WWW.ACTIONABLEBOOKS.COM

Here is the About Us from the website:

About Us

At Actionable Books, we believe that the business landscape has drastically changed in the last 20 years. As a result, schools and employers are no longer teaching the right skills and attitudes for the competitive 21st century workplace.

Looks like Chris has found an awesome space in the world.  Our lack of time has linked with his passion for reading and teaching others.  Now we have a place to go to get book summaries that zero in on exactly what you need from each book.

It's a must do!  Let me know what you think!