Finding A Way - With Others

I am unwrapping posts from the archives and mixing the old with the new. Enjoy this post from the past.

I have written previously about how, in HR, we are bound by so many rules and regulations that the challenge lies in us finding ways to get the job done in spite of them. There are grey areas, there is wiggle room, and there are self-imposed interpretations that can be more restrictive than they need to be. Our challenge as leaders is being able to look at an issue from a new perspective.

iStockphoto

In a post on Fast Company, Donna Karlin leads with a quote a rings true to me,"We don't see things are they are, we see things as we are" - Anais Nin

Getting beyond ourselves and what we've always done and realizing that what you thought was an absolute, non-negotiable truth, absolutely was not. What you thought was a solid wall might actually have a weak spot for a nice bay window - there may be a way around, or better yet right through, a perceived barrier to meeting an organizational need or to providing a service.

There may be a way but we will need to do our homework first.

How did I get here? Not by any planful way at all but by a few different conversations, venting sessions and very frustrating interpersonal interactions. They were all converging, blending, stirring and then . . .  at one "AHA" moment, a possibility came to me on my way into work one morning. "Of course, why didn't we see that sooner?"  This possibility suddenly shone a new light on all previous interactions and conversations.

I am only able to accomplish the things that I do because of those around me and we may have stumbled upon a window in a seemingly airtight room. But you know what, even if we find out that is isn't, it has reminded me of the value in discussing issues, listening to dissenting opinions, allowing all sides of an issue to be presented, and more so, of the value of that each and every person.

===> Do you think leaders need to "Grow up and Lead?" I do. Help me spread the word by clicking here and then "Yes, please write this manifesto" at ChangeThis. Voting ends Jan 4.

A Leadership Manifesto

Leadership is a choice and it is rewarding if chosen for the right reasons. A leader seeking glory, fulfillment of self-interests, or a way to get others to do the things their way is short sighted and will not succeed.

iStockphoto

A Leadership Checklist

Whether you are a first time leader or one accepting the mantle again, there is a tendency to want "do it right." Yet despite what thousands of books on leadership suggest, you cannot checklist your way to leadership. Studies have gleaned qualities and competencies common to impactful leaders but that’s where the similarities end.

How the qualities and competencies are applied in day-to-day situations individual and unique. There isn't a prescribed right way to do leadership but there are principles successful leaders espouse. And here's the thing, the ways leaders apply these principles are as varied as the numbers of leaders themselves. People are unique. Leadership experiences are too.

Grow up and Lead

Leadership is not easy. In order to inspire others, leaders need to be inspired themselves. Leaders bring out the others but first you have to acknowledge the best in yourself. The challenges a leader faces are endless: unmotivated workers, disconnected systems, unsupportive management and unyielding family members.

For leaders to effectively lead, only one thing remains.

The Heart and Wisdom of a Leader

The line from the song by REO Speedwagon comes to mind when I think of leaders who want to throw in the towel,  “I just can’t fight the feeling anymore, I forgot what I was fighting for.” They’ve forgotten why they’ve chosen to lead or they’ve lost themselves in the process. It’s up to us to help them remember.

What is your reason for leading, today and in the future?

===> If you liked this proposal, click through to ChangeThis  and select "Yes, please write this manifesto." Top voted proposals on Jan 4 will be selected to write and publish a full manifesto.