Reverse Mentoring

One thing I have learned being a Leader that is that "The Leader does not know everything" - nor is she/he expected to. Now I know that in reality a lot of supervisors/managers were "promoted" into leadership positions because of their technical knowledge, skills and sometimes tenure in the organization - however that's not what will keep them successful.

Take a deep breath... I'm not saying that you should forget or unlearn what you already know - besides the fact that that's not really possible, they are part of your "foundation" so don't crack it.

All I'm saying is open yourself up to learn more - and new things. There is a sharp difference between Leaders and Managers/Supervisors - and many people including me*, have written about them.

One tip that I have employed which has helped me succeed is "Reverse Mentoring." Huh?! What's that?! Glad you had that reaction...it's exactly the same reaction a Senior Leader had when I shared with him that I was now in a new area and needed to learn a lot about. I proceeded to share with him that I had told my team members that I was new to the area and would expect "reverse mentoring." It sounded preposterous to him - his face said it all. "You mean you want your staff to "mentor" you?" He shook his head in disbelief so I proceeded to break it down for him. By the time I was done, he couldn't but agree that my idea was a good one. And if I may add, it was an idea that came from a place of humility.

So what is Reverse Mentoring? Simply put, it is learning from your team members - or others who may be surbordinate to or younger than you. The most successful leaders are those who know that life-long learning is key to progress (and promotion). They also know that if you manage your staff/team members well, they will manage the work - like one of my managers taught me a few years ago. So taking an interest in their work and understanding how and why they do what they do will increase your connection to them and your content.

"Learning and Leadership are indspensable from each other."  

~ John F. Kennedy

.

This is true; the minute a leader realizes then accepts this and has the humility to learn from others, whoever those others are, then he/she has set themselves up for success.

Enjoy the rest of the Mentoring Month!

References:
* Leader vs. Manager articles:
- Which are you?
 - I may not be what you're used to

O.A.R.

O.A.R? Yes oar. I'm sure that we know that an oar is "a pole with a flat blade, pivoting in an oar lock, used to row or steer a boat through the water."* But it means more than that for me.

A few weeks ago, when I thinking about  surviving crisis and the words "overcoming adversity resiliently" came to mind. You may notice that the first letter of each word spells "Oar." 

I decided to write about this because it's an important matter to discuss because adversity will come to you whether or not you are expecting it.

We expect people to overcome their adversities however, it is important for us to overcome them resiliently. 

Being resilient is the ability to withstand and/or recover (quickly) from difficult or challenging situation. Reading Robert H. Schuller's book "Tough times never last, tough people do!" published in 1983 highlights the importance of being resilient.

Jamais Cascio put it differently:

"Resilience is about being able to overcome the unexpected. 

Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive."

Sometimes we just want to survive challenges (i.e. bouncing back) versus focusing on how to bounce back higher. However, the way to truly fulfill our purpose in life is to not just bounce back but to bounce back higher...

This is where the oar concept comes in. An oar is an instrument that helps rowers through the water - irrespective of how stormy it may be. Likewise being resilient is what keeps us going and overcoming adversity despite how challenging the situation is.

I'm sure that you have heard the saying "don't rest on your oars" - which means don't be relax after achieving a goal. On the flip side, we should not stay down if we've been "put down" by adversity.

As the year winds down, take the time to look back and if you've had any adversities as I have, remember your oar and overcome adversities resiliently. Keep rowing. Keep going. You can do it!  

Sources:
*Google
Picture: Yellowstone raft

VIBE

What comes to mind when you hear the word: "Vibe"? Everyone gives off different vibes and I, like most of you, prefer positive vibes. There is nothing so good as being the source of positive vibes (feelings and energy) in a place - any & every place you are.

Personally, one way I succeed in doing that is by volunteering. If you ask me to define volunteering, I'd use VIBE as a acronym and say: Volunteering Is Being Empowering... 
Voluntering is all about giving of yourself to benefit others...so they can be better.

 I like the way Gillian Anderson puts it: 

"Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work, there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need." 

One thing I know is that women are almost always volunteering - their time, talents, ideas, ears, hands, shoulders and even tears. We need to realize how empowering those moments can be and maximize the value and virtue we carry around with us and/or spread at those times and places. The impact of volunteers is all around us. 

December 5 is International Volunteers Day as declared by the United Nations. So I join the world to thank you for volunteering - and thank you in advance for deciding to and continuing to volunteer. 

Spread the vibe!

P.S. 
If you need ideas on where and how to volunteer (strategically), feel free to reach out to me  via: 
- email: empoweredwomenexcel@gmail.com or 
- LinkedIn message: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adaadelekekelani/

The grass is greener...is it? - 2

Here are the other 2 things I have learned about "greener" grass - where it is grass

The grass is greener...is it? - 1

One fact that cannot be countered is that there is always a very high probability that the grass on the other side is greener. It's all about people's perception and people's perception is their reality. 

I have learned from personal experience that 2 people (even identical twins) can look at the same thing and see different things. Let's test that quickly - feel free to check with a friend/colleague too:

Servant Leadership

The Corporate world is full of buzz-words. "Servant-Leadership" is one of such buzz words that are in vogue for a period and then they fizzle out. However, Servant-Leadership is one that should not fizzle out and the reason is simple: "Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world."*

It is interesting to note that even the son of the wisest king that ever lived got this advice:

“If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they’ll end up doing anything for you.”**

For those of us who know the rest of the story, we'd remember that he didn't take the advice and lost the kingdom altogether. If you don't, I suggest you read the full story - see below for the source.

This principle was very clearly depicted in an article I read recently on LinkedIn titled: 
Better to have a GOOD BOSS in a bad company, rather than a BAD BOSS in a good company ! Agree ?

The bottom-line is

“Only secure leaders exhibit servanthood.” - John C. Maxwell***

"The best leaders desire to serve others, not themselves." – Joe Heho***

References:

*https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/

** 1 Kings 12:7 - The Message

*** https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6423053154635509760

Have it all?

It's been over 6 years since the article Why women still can't have it all was published. It's amazing how that phrase has sparked various conversations* since the article** with that phrase in it's title.

Let's take a step back and ask: 

"What does it really mean for any person - woman or man - to "have it all"?