I've been reading Kouzes and Posner's new book - The Truth About Leadership. In the book, they lay out 10 truths about leadership. Truth Number 10 is that Leadership is an Affair of the Heart. Here's a quote "There's no integrity and honor without heart. There's no commitment and conviction without heart. There's no hope and faith without heart. There's no trust and support without heart. There's no learning and risk taking without heart. Nothing important ever gets done without heart."
It has certainly been my experience and I bet yours as well, that what I remember most about great bosses, up and coming new leaders and wonderful teammates is that they had heart. It's what made us connect. It's what made us accomplish more than we thought was possible. It's what made us reach.
Today I am grateful for those co-workers and leaders who lent their heart to the work and to the development of others. They were - and are - terrific role models.
Do you remember in the movie "You Got Mail" when everyone was saying - "It's not personal, it's business" and Meg Ryan says "What do they mean by that? I mean, shouldn't it be personal?"
Kouzes and Posner end this chapter with "Leaders put their hearts into their businesses and their business in their hearts. They love what they're doing and they stay in love with leading. (they stay in love with leading - I think that bears repeating), with the people who do the work, with what their organization's produce, and with those who honor them by using their products and services."
Being a Leader with Heart...it's the only way to go!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The week of April 26th, Bob Littell, with the help of his friends, is launching Atlanta's Pay It Forward Week. This is an opportunity for all of us to connect some folks that we know ought to be connected. The basic principle behind Netweaving and Pay It Forward is that whenever we are in a conversation, discussing an opportunity or a problem, we should be thinking, "Do I know someone who can help?" And if the answer is "Yes, I do", then the next question is "How will I get them connected?" Bob would suggest the best way is to personally host a meeting to bring folks together. Bringing folks together for their gain, not yours - that's the Netweaving part. And the Pay It Forward piece is asking those folks who you connected to do the same for someone else. It's a pretty simple concept that seems to be catching on.
Obviously connecting people is something we should be doing all year long, and the idea behind this inaugural week long event is to "teach the skill." We all want to be helpful, we all want to plants seeds like Johnny did and to solve problems, like Nancy did, but it takes time and it takes intentionality.
We're looking forward to lots of connections taking place that will create energy, creativity and solutions. And perhaps, along with that, a good number of new friendships. Given our busy lives, it's not to early to start planning our hosting opportunities for the week of the 26th. I'm thinking about 3 or 4 people I know who ought to be connected and now I need to get the time scheduled to bring them together. It will be fun and I bet it will prove helpful. I'd love to hear if you plan to participate, if you are fan of Netweaving, and if you have skills, ideas, and/or experiences to share.
Thanks Bob for getting us focused on an idea that will make all of our networks stronger!
Obviously connecting people is something we should be doing all year long, and the idea behind this inaugural week long event is to "teach the skill." We all want to be helpful, we all want to plants seeds like Johnny did and to solve problems, like Nancy did, but it takes time and it takes intentionality.
We're looking forward to lots of connections taking place that will create energy, creativity and solutions. And perhaps, along with that, a good number of new friendships. Given our busy lives, it's not to early to start planning our hosting opportunities for the week of the 26th. I'm thinking about 3 or 4 people I know who ought to be connected and now I need to get the time scheduled to bring them together. It will be fun and I bet it will prove helpful. I'd love to hear if you plan to participate, if you are fan of Netweaving, and if you have skills, ideas, and/or experiences to share.
Thanks Bob for getting us focused on an idea that will make all of our networks stronger!
Friday, March 5, 2010
PLANTING THE SEEDS
Whenever I think about Johnny Appleseed, I think about how he spent his life planting seeds. In the Disney version of John's life and work, John is discouraged as he watches the wagon trains head west. He's too small to tame the West, he says. But what he learns is that he has his part to play. And so he heads West alone taking what he knew how to do - growing apple trees - and uses that skill, that passion to plant apple orchards all through the West. A "small job" done in a big way, that changed how people lived.
I've recently shared with many of you the impact the book HALF THE SKY is having on me. It's written by Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn. They won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the violence at Tienmann Square. So they are no strangers to the hard choices people make in the world.
Now they are telling us - in a fact based, compelling, pragmatic, you can do something about this way - the story of women in the world. The title comes from a Chinese proverb - "Women hold up half the sky." The book reports that 100 million women are missing in the world today. Missing. Here in America, I've always assumed that in every culture there were more widows than widowers, but it's not true. Why? Because in poor countries, girl fetuses are aborted, baby girls are left to die, little girls don't receive medical treatment, and young women are sold into slavery. Real slavery.
Kristof and WuDunn recognize that it's easy for us to think these events are tragic, but not changeable - at least not by us. But they tell us, that is what Western Europe used to think about slavery in the Americas. But then in 1780, a few indignant Britions, led by William Wilberforce, decided that slavery was so offensive it had to be abolished. And it was. And the authors say "Today we seek the seed of something similar: a global movement to emancipate women and girls."
Seeds. Learning which seeds will grow in the different soils. Preparing the earth. Planting the seed. Ensuring the seeds are fed and watered and teaching others to do the same.
When girls are educated and protected, economies improve, wars end, people prosper. Isn't it amazing that something as simple as sending girls to school could end war. But it does.
And we can be part of planting those seeds of change. Change occurs when people realize they can't tolerate past practices. The need for change becomes personal. I'm hoping that like Johnny, you'll choose to make it personal. I am. And I'd love to hear your perspective.
Whenever I think about Johnny Appleseed, I think about how he spent his life planting seeds. In the Disney version of John's life and work, John is discouraged as he watches the wagon trains head west. He's too small to tame the West, he says. But what he learns is that he has his part to play. And so he heads West alone taking what he knew how to do - growing apple trees - and uses that skill, that passion to plant apple orchards all through the West. A "small job" done in a big way, that changed how people lived.
I've recently shared with many of you the impact the book HALF THE SKY is having on me. It's written by Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn. They won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the violence at Tienmann Square. So they are no strangers to the hard choices people make in the world.
Now they are telling us - in a fact based, compelling, pragmatic, you can do something about this way - the story of women in the world. The title comes from a Chinese proverb - "Women hold up half the sky." The book reports that 100 million women are missing in the world today. Missing. Here in America, I've always assumed that in every culture there were more widows than widowers, but it's not true. Why? Because in poor countries, girl fetuses are aborted, baby girls are left to die, little girls don't receive medical treatment, and young women are sold into slavery. Real slavery.
Kristof and WuDunn recognize that it's easy for us to think these events are tragic, but not changeable - at least not by us. But they tell us, that is what Western Europe used to think about slavery in the Americas. But then in 1780, a few indignant Britions, led by William Wilberforce, decided that slavery was so offensive it had to be abolished. And it was. And the authors say "Today we seek the seed of something similar: a global movement to emancipate women and girls."
Seeds. Learning which seeds will grow in the different soils. Preparing the earth. Planting the seed. Ensuring the seeds are fed and watered and teaching others to do the same.
When girls are educated and protected, economies improve, wars end, people prosper. Isn't it amazing that something as simple as sending girls to school could end war. But it does.
And we can be part of planting those seeds of change. Change occurs when people realize they can't tolerate past practices. The need for change becomes personal. I'm hoping that like Johnny, you'll choose to make it personal. I am. And I'd love to hear your perspective.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Everyday Heroes
About a month ago a friend and I were talking about the “heroes” in our lives. Of course, we named the usual suspects – our parents and grandparents, a special teacher, someone we watched on television. But the next morning, I began to think about two other heroes of mine, Johnny Appleseed and Nancy Drew. If you are over 40, you may have found yourself thinking, “Johnny Appleseed?” and suddenly the songs starts in your head.….”The Lord is good to me and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun, the rain and the apple seed, The Lord is good to me.” Or you may be picturing Nancy’s blue roadster and admiring her willingness to help someone in trouble, to step into harm’s way to right a wrong, to solve a problem.
Heroes. As a child they were as real to me as you are, and I grew up know to them, admire them, and adopt their values. People who planted seeds, gave thanks, got to the root cause, and righted a wrong.
Over the Christmas holidays, Randy Hain of Bell Oaks invited my husband and I, as well as the Turknett’s (Turknett Leadership) and the Whitney’s (O.C. Tanner) to attend a fundraising dinner for the Atlanta Union Mission. Each one of those folks are JAND folks (Johnny Appleseed and Nancy Drew type people who look for the good and ways to share it). I was happy to attend. My grandparents had been active NY Union Mission leaders when I was a young girl, and I was anxious to learn more about what the Atlanta Union Mission was doing.
In my grandparent’s day, the problems of the homeless and the addicted were answered by sharing a meal, a place to sleep, and faith. Today, the Atlanta Union Mission has six campuses to support folks who need these same emergency services, and to also to support longer term recovery. I’m personally grateful to Jim Reese and his team for the life of a friend’s child. Caught up in addiction and a life on the street, she is now several years clean and sober, an honors student at a local college, studying to be a nurse. The mission reports an astounding 75% clean after 6 months “performance record”.
Folks who work with the mission don’t provide an easy path for their guests, but they do understand that clarity, consistency, and love can bring about miracles. Thanks to Randy Hain who serves on their Board of Directors and as a valued member of our community. Check them out at www.AtlantaUnionMission.org. And thanks to each of you who plant seeds and solve problems. As Johnny sings, it’s true, “The Lord is Good to Me.”
And so, to continue the conversation, who do you want to thank for planting seeds and solving problems? I’d love to hear about your heroes and what we can learn from them.
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