Realizing Your Potential
You must do the things you think you cannot do. - Eleanor Roosevelt
This week on Learning to Lead live we continued with our series on success and the need to plant and nurture our seeds of success.
Throughout this series we started with values and definition of success and as we reflect on the concept of value based leadership (leading from a place of authenticity, grounded in our values) we are digging into the 5 practices we can use to become a value based leader. These practices are: building awareness, realizing potential, developing relationships, taking action, and practicing reflection. Last week we explored the principle of building awareness and this week we focused on realizing your potential. The full replay of our live conversation is included below and here are a few takeaways:
Realizing potential describes not just who we are today, but who we want to be and want to come true in the future. Realizing potential requires exploration of four areas:
Discovering our purpose
Making an impact
Developing our best self
Pursuing ideal environments
DISCOVERING OUR PURPOSE
It can be overwhelming as it is BIG & HEAVY to contemplate:
Why we are here?
What our reason for existing?
Your purpose is your why and helps you navigate life, giving you a reason to get back up when you get knocked down
When exploring purpose, consider it from multiple angles:
Think about what energizes you
Ponder what impact you want to have at work, at home, or in your community
Look back over years and consider themes that you’ve always lived by
Consider the future and how you want to spend time, money, energy
To be a values-based leader, you have to work on yourself. Every day! At work & at home.
The why is simple; every day & every situation gives us the change to act on our values, make a conscious choices, and practice our leadership skills.
Working on ourselves requests effort and repetition, & some choices will be easier than others. Over time, however, everyone can develop the skills of values-based leadership if we are willing to put in the work.
You will be more effective over time! - Dr. Thomas Epperson
MAKING AN IMPACT
Another part of purpose is to define what impact you want to have on others:
Like compound interest on a savings account, the choices you make in the moment can add up to a huge impact over time.
At times, we can be plagued by irrational fear that we are wasting our lives and that somehow we will get to the end and feel like we failed. The feeling that we should be doing more, accomplishing more is often fear talking.
We have the opportunity to infuse whatever we are doing with meaning and purpose. It is a choice to live and work on purpose – with purpose!
Questions to consider:
Do you want to inspire, motivate, or help build their confidence?
Do you want to be a coach or mentor?
Leaders impact others every day through actions, words etc. whether realized or not, why not be intentional about it?
When you reach the top, you should remember to send the elevator back down for others. - Edith Piaf
DEVELOPING YOUR BEST SELF
Once you understand your purpose and have considered the impact you want to make, it’s time to discover and surpass your limits to become the best version of yourself.
There is no one right way to be
There is no perfect personality, set of values, set of skills
Use what is natural and motivational to you and build on it
It was once thought a leader needed to wear a suit and have a microphone to lead; that they had to be charismatic, larger than life and outgoing, leading on charm alone. The reality is that it takes more than these traits to lead. Learning how to speak up, network, build relationships and lead with vision. Knowing how to be quiet and listen, to be comfortable with silence, to ask questions instead of offering opinions or solutions.
If we work on ourselves first, it gives us the ability to model self-development for others and inspire them to do the heaving lifting and hard work to develop their best selves.
Our brains evolved with one job: to keep us alive, not to help us live up to our potential. This is why self-development is a choice.
If the things or skills that other people have told you to work on do not support your goals, purpose or values - don’t worry about them.
Exercise:
Step 1: Imagine an ideal version of yourself in whatever role you aspire to be (CEO, Great Parent etc.). Write it out in as much detail as possible envisioning what all aspects of embodying this role. Questions to consider:
How does a (X role) behave?
What skills and competencies does (X role) have?
How does (X role) impact others?
What would other people say about (X role)?
Step 2: Map all the strengths you have already developed to embody this role leveraging the practice of building awareness. Now assess the areas of weakness or growth, where are there gaps that you need to still develop. This is the beginning of creating a clear path to developing the best version of yourself today.
This is a challenge of courage and conviction. WE can increase our capacity over time to lead, take on more, face challenges, deal with conflict and ultimately become the best version of ourselves. It is a choice to face the hard truth that we are not perfect – rather we are human.
Questions to consider:
What are your competing commitments and priorities?
What keeps you from doing what you really want to do?
What keeps you from having the impact you truly want to have?
What do you worry will happen if you slow down and take the time to focus on what aligns with what you really want, your purpose, and your values?
You either deal with your stuff or you suffer the consequences. I’ve known people who are negative, blame everybody for their problems, & have never really grown. Even though it’s hard work, growth seems like the better path. - Greg McCann
PURSUING IDEAL ENVIRONMENTS
Certain environments will bring out our very best and are more conducive to our growth as leaders. Pursuing ideal environments does not have to be all or nothing. You don’t have to quit your job tomorrow or say good-bye to all your friends; small changes make a big difference. Spend time with people you enjoy, decorate your office to suit your dreams, go to lunch or get coffee with someone you want to get to know better, or take a course on a topic you’ve always been curious about. These small shifts can have a profound impact on your mindset, outlook, and start to create those idea environments.
Questions to consider:
How will you know you have found your ideal environment?
How does it make you feel?
Does it fit you?
Does it bring out the your best version?
Does it align with your values and purpose?
As values-based leaders we make choices that will help us reach our potential - and some of these choices may be the hardest we will ever make!
If we have the courage to act and seek another job or a new set of relationships we are investing in our future.
If we practice reflection, we may discover what our purpose is and how to develop the best version of ourselves.
We will continue this deep dive into the concept of planting seeds of success and value based leadership. This is hard work and it’s personal. The more we can embrace this as a continuous act of growth, the more effective we can be as leaders. We will be back in two weeks (May 26) to unpack week we will be back to dig into the practice of Developing Relationships.
“Come to the edge” - he said
”We can’t, we are afraid!”- they responded
”Come to the edge” - he said
”We can’t, we will fall!” - they responded
”Come to the edge” - he said
And so they came
And he pushed them
And they flew- Gulliaume Apollinaire
Listen to the Full Replay
No Clubhouse next week! During break checkout the latest events and resources and we will be back on Saturday, May 28 from 9:30-10:30 am PT on Clubhouse; join us for another lively discussion. The topic will be announced on Wednesday, May 25 right here!
Resources
Planting Seeds of Success Week One: Defining success and values - a recap from our first discussion in this series
Seeds of Success Week Two: Building Awareness - a recap from our second discussion in this series
InnerWill: Developing Better People, Braver Leaders, and a Wiser World through the Practice of Value Based Leadership by Dr Thomas Epperson - InnerWill provides the keys to true resilience. Change is fundamental to growth, and new ventures won’t always go the way you planned. Learn how to motivate yourself and others to roll with the punches and keep moving forward, becoming the kind of effective leader who surpasses goals again and again.
Newsletters I read daily to stay informed and get inspired: The Hustle, Morning Brew, Seth Godin’s Blog, Atlas Obscura, Oprah Daily
Events
Launch House Business Workshop Series - May 16-20, 2022: A free week long digital workshop series by Create & Cultivate
Unleash Her Power Within - May 19, 2022: a free 3-hour life design master class presented with Karissa Kouchis, Jenna Kutcher, and Tony Robbins
2022 Leading Entrepreneurs of the World Conference - June 2022: As one of the most comprehensive entrepreneurial events, the LEW Conference features 5 days of virtual business presentations, digital interviews, discussions, and roundtables with the world's leading entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Women in Tech Global Conference 2022 (WomenTech Network) - June 7-10, 2022: The hybrid conference will bring women in tech, minorities and allies from all over the world together through an interactive platform featuring live ceremonies, keynotes, engaging panels, breakout rooms, country & chapter leader sessions, technical workshops, and networking with virtual and in-person sessions.
Learning to Lead LIVE
No Clubhouse next week! During break checkout the latest events and resources and we will be back on Saturday, May 28 from 9:30-10:30 am PT on Clubhouse; join us for another lively discussion. The topic will be announced on Wednesday, May 25 right here!
Networking & Job Openings
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