Seeds of Success - Building Awareness
Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. - Benjamin Franklin
What is success to you? We have kicked off a series to discuss success, how to approach this big question, and how to stay true to yourself along the way.
This week on Learning to Lead live we looked at the practice of building awareness as one of 5 practices in value based leadership. Building awareness is important to not only stay true to our values but also better understand how we are perceived. The live discussion on this topic was thought-provoking and filled with insightful experiences and perspectives (full replay is included below). Here are a few takeaways:
Values-Based Leaders choose to live, work and lead in alignment with their core values and ignite the potential of others by helping them do the same.
Building awareness, understanding who we are, and the impact we have is key to planting the seeds of success.
Planting seeds for success is about focusing and working on ourselves to get clear about our values to lead from that authenticity. This work can include:
Identifying our values and how they affect our choices, emotions, behaviors & relationships
How are we investing in developing or growing our skills/abilities?
Life creates opportunities for growth, which can masquerade as obstacles
Reaching our potential requires us to see opportunity in challenges & to believe in our ability to learn from setbacks
Requires us to accept hard truths about ourselves
To constantly strive to be the best version of ourselves
To make hard choices that align with our values
Building awareness can be one of the most difficult parts of leadership. Feedback can feel threatening and hurtful. It can be surprising to learn how others experience us, especially when it does not line up with how we see ourselves. What may have been true about us at 20 years old is no longer true at age 40, 60 etc. Our situations, relationships and environments change, drawing on different parts of our gifts and gaps. Three ways to practice building awareness: Examining our values, Identifying strengths and weaknesses, and Seeking feedback.
Examining values, style and beliefs: pay attention to what energizes you, and what makes you angry; evaluate your beliefs and challenge where they come from (and are they still true); journal to reflect on who you really are beyond titles or jobs.
Identifying strengths and weaknesses: Strengths are things we excel at and come easy to us. Weaknesses feel clunky or awkward when we attempt them, and actions we avoid if given the choice.
Seeking feedback: Others may see you more clearly than you see yourself, especially if a value is subtle or in your BLINDSPOT. This can be challenging because other interpretations are run through their own filters. Their interpretations of your values may not be accurate but are great data points to use to build awareness. Keep in mind we judge others on our intentions while others judge us on our BEHAVIORS. When seeking feedback, look to your experts (to grow up), look to peers (to grow out), and look to proteges (to grow down). Ask questions like: who do you say I am and who do people say I am. Seek to understand and learn from all feedback and all data you receive, even if it’s uncomfortable.
Leading without feedback is like driving home with the dashboard covered -Greg McCann
Success is foundationally connected to our values and beliefs. The more time we spend getting clear on these aspects of who we are, the more effective we can be leading from a place of authenticity.
We will continue this deep dive into the concept of planting seeds of success and value based leadership. This week’s practice of building awareness is hard work, it is as much about the journey as the answers along the way. Next week we will be back to dig into the practice of Realizing Potential.
It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are. - Roy Disney
Listen to the Full Replay
We will be back live next Saturday, May 14 from 9:30-10:30 am PT on Clubhouse; join us for another lively discussion. The topic will be announced on Wednesday, May 11 right here!
Resources
Jim Carey’s inspirational commencement speech is worth a watch (likely a few times)
Planting Seeds of Success Week One: Defining success and values - a recap from our first 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
How to find success through others - May 10, 2022: In this training, you will learn: How to identify when and who you need to hire, How to better your chances of hiring the right people, How to set yourself and new hires up for success.
FORTUNE Brainstorm Health 2022 - May 10-11, 2022: Join the Brainstorm Health community-- a powerful gathering of leaders at the crossroads of business, health care, technology, and innovation.
Future of Work 24 Hours 2022 - May 2022: We want to move from a place of talking about the philosophical aspects of new ways of working to doing it. From theorizing about it to practicing it, to embracing it, experimenting, tweaking. We want the power of perspectives from around the world, from different industries, and different functions to learn and build shared ideas from and with one another. Let's gather to show the power, potential, and beauty of opening a space with very few restrictions to truly capture the wisdom of everyone present.
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.
Learning to Lead LIVE
The next Learning to Lead Live event will be on Saturday, May 7 @ 9:30 am PDT. The topic will be shared on Wednesday (May 4) so be sure to subscribe for updates and reminders!
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