Leading from behind...

When you hear about leadership, most times it's about being a visible and vocal "head" of a team. Lots of leaders want to be seen and take the credit for the good work their team members produce. however, the more I think about my leadership journey, the more I want to lead from behind.

Jack Welch the former Chairman and CEO of General Electric said:

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself.

When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

Growing others is something that happens mostly "in the dark"  - just as seeds develop roots in the soil where it's dark. It also takes a lot of patience. Imagine what would happen if you plant then dig up the seed everyday to check if it's growing? It will die before it takes root. So growing or developing others does not need to be broadcast to others and requires quite a bit of patience. The growth will show from the quality of fruit your team members produce. 

Nelson Mandela's advice is one every leader should take to heart:
"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership."

Leading from behind for me is all about encouraging others to discover & express their full potential and also be there (behind them) to have their back i.e. provide cover.

It will be nice to hear from you what you think about "Leading from behind..." You can send me an email: empoweredwomenexcel@gmail.com or comment on this post.

Learn from birds...

I started thinking about birds - not just the eagle - and started looking for quotes that speak to me. Here are a few and my comments are in blue font.

 

Why do birds sing in the morning?

It's the triumphant shout:

"We got through another night!"

Enid Bagnold

Where you've been or what you've been through is not as important as where you're headed. Whatever your situation, always have a song in your heart...it will lift you.

 

Be like the bird in flight . . . pausing a while on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, yet sings knowing yet, that she has wings.

Victor Marie Hugo

 

Each bird must sing with his own throat.

Henrik Ibsen

God gives every bird its food, but he does not throw it into the nest.

Josiah Gilbert Holland

 

Use the talents you possess - for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best.

Henry Van Dyke

 

You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren. ~ William Henry Hudson

 

Self-development is key to advancement; to get to the next level, invest in yourself. 

Know-it-all?

A few weeks ago, my colleague and I were chatting and she was talking about the fact that there are some things are brought to her attention or meetings she's invited to where she knows little or nothing about the subject matter.

I smiled and said that's fine because I "thrive" in not knowing it all. Now that's not to say that I don't know anything...I know some things but I don't know everything. I believe that not knowing it all gives one (me) room to grow.

On the other hand, while it's ok not to know everything I believe that it is very important to know what you do know well.

In professional & personal circles, people have more respect for those who "know-it-well" than those who carry around as if they know-it-all.

In the corporate world, there's quite a bit of talk about specializing in a body of knowledge to become a Subject Matter Expert (SME) or a Technical Authority (TA). Did you know that those acronyms also stand for "Small & Medium Enterprises" and "Turn-Around" respectively? Small & Medium Enterprises aspire to get bigger and Turn-Arounds are meant to improve the performance of the equipment - these are pointers to the fact that it's better to know-it-well and keep learning more, growing and getting better as against capping your willingness & ability to learn. Be a know-it-well not a know-it-all.

Are you an Eagle or Sheep or an EWE?

I smiled when I found this quote:

“Eagles we see fly alone; and they are but sheep which always herd together”

Sir Philip Sidney

It brings the 2 distinct attributes we must have. The Bible talks about how we are like eagles and sheep - so we need to be both.

If you look closely at the name of this blog you'll see EWE which stands for 2 things for me:

Ewe: is a female sheep - which all Christian women are - we're the sheep of God's pasture.
 

EWE - Eagle With Evidence

 

Empowered women excel but are not satisified with excelling alone. They also empower other women. So as eagles they go high in life and also take the time to help others in their community.

To be both and eagle and a sheep, you need to first be comfortable with your success because if you're not, you can't confidently show/guide someone else on the way to excel. And if you can't or don't guide others to execl then you're not really a success...
 

So are you an Ewe and/or EWE? You should strive to be both...and so help you God.

Please read: http://empowered-women-excel.blogspot.ca/2012/10/reach-out.html

2 tips for the 2nd half of the year...

Never work just for money or for power.

They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.

~ Marian Wright Edelman

 

 

Be absolutely determined to enjoy what you do. ~ Gerry Sikorski

 

Personally, I believe that if you don't enjoy what you do then you should look for something you enjoy doing and do it...otherwise you'll live an unhappy life.

 

The Imposter Syndrome: Why Owning Your Success is Critical to Your Career

A lot has been written about how we accept and attribute success to ourselves. I read and couldn't resist sharing this article by Nneka Orji 

The Imposter Syndrome: Why Owning Your Success is Critical to Your Career*
 
Surely someone more experienced or more knowledgeable should be in this position instead of me.

These feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt – which some of us have experienced throughout our career –can be harmless. However, if they present themselves frequently, leading us to frequently doubt our abilities, they can have a detrimental impact on our careers.

Behind every successful woman...

With the increase in career women, a new norm is: