Leaders inspire others to grow

Why does leadership matter?

A leader’s call is to enhance the goodness in each and every individual and to inspire greatness. What matters most to people is how they are made to feel by the organisations that employ them, and by the bosses who manage them.

Why do we need leaders?

Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Leaders offer an exciting vision – a light that others are inspired to follow
• They provide a road map and instill a sense of belonging and ownership
• They transform spaces and souls, stretching societies to be more than what they have become
• They enable performance, celebrate achievements and raise spirits
• They leave landmarks of honour and historical legacies that serve as foundations for future generations
• They create culture, tradition and leave an inheritance that shapes our tomorrow

Why Does it Matter?

• Women are critical to the transformation and advancement of the South African economy.
• Leading from the heart could be an enabler for leaders to re-inspire employees to serve effectively and passionately, in order not only to impact the business but society at large.
• We are not remembered for what we receive but rather for what we give.
• It is for this reason that ethics are not just observed for the company’s bottom line.
• The practice needs to translate in a manner that is mutually beneficial for both business and society with the aim of yielding a healthier future as a return on investment
• Leaders therefore need to be informed by the future we want to build as we journey through life and business.
• As givers of life, we need to do it in a manner that shapes a society we would appreciate to call home.

How do leaders take the Lead?

• Clarity of thought and understanding of why you lead the way you do, who you are doing it for, how you are going to do it, where you are going to do it and when you are going to do it.  Be crystal clear about the outcomes and stay focused on your goal posts
• Listening integrity – listen to what is being said and what is not being said by others and by your inner voice. This means be silent and listen
• Travelling light – mastering the art of unloading your own baggage is critical. Be authentic and synchronised with what you do publicly and privately
• Unveiling the mask –Be authentic– peel back your layers so that what people see is real
• Expressing gratitude and gratefulness and communicating this to those we lead
• Creating inspiring moments of fun and guiding those we lead to experience happiness. If you don’t enjoy it, it cant be done.
• Having a positive attitude – an inside out approach to life

What should we do?

• Tackling twilight (that moment between lightness and darkness). Life is about choices. Make sure your choices are informed by your values, then act out those choices with zest and zeal
• Reasoning from the heart and making decisions promptly no matter how hard it may be – before it gets too dark
• Operating with truth and honesty at all times and being driven by core values, ethics and morals in business, in a way that promotes healthy sleep
• Being vulnerable and open to listening and receiving good, bad and ugly feedback without malice
• Embracing, with clear knowledge and understanding who we really are. This should include our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, values, communication skills, decision making skills, barriers, possible blind spots, areas of development, knowing the ideal environment in which we operate and what inspires us

Know thy self  and live your purpose

• To be authentic and ethical you first need to know who you are.
• Write your own eulogy

Personal Growth

• Leaders lead from the heart. Your heart is what drives you to grow.
• If your growth process is executed with flair, then what you do becomes attractive.
• Everyone loves and follows a leader who leads with reason.
• Its not just about a title.  Its not about a position.
• Its just being a Miriam Makeba of your industry or your sphere of influence.
• When this is understood, then no permission is required.

Be who you are.  Be true to who you are.
Do what inspires you and what enables you to grow.
Then life will reward you.

15 Laws of Growth

1. Intentionality
2. Awareness
3. Seeing value in yourself to add value to others
4. Reflection
5. Consistency
6. Environment
7. Design to maximise growth
8. Law of Pain
9. Ladder- Character of growth determines the height of your growth
10. Rubber band growth stops when you loose the tension of where you are and where you could be
11. Trade offs- You have to give up to grow up
12. Curiosity- Growth is stimulated by asking why
13. Law of Modelling
14. Law of Expansion
15. Law of Contribution- Growing yourself enables you to grow others

Healing Ourselves Inside Out

Every individual has their own way of dealing with pain, stress, bad energy and resentment. Each of these negative feelings weakens our spirit and our will to move smoothly towards more positive things.  We get stuck in negativity which leads to depression and eventually causes us to get physically ill.  We all go through pressures on a daily basis coupled with added stress thus we need to develop effective and long lasting ways of healing ourselves from within.  In doing so, we avoid having to deal with any physical ills.

Let go of frustrations in your life!

• Learn a new skill
• Change your perception
• Face it and cry it out
• Channel your discontent into an immediate positive action
• Use meditation or yoga to bring yourself into the present moment
• Make a list of accomplishments – even the small ones – add to it daily
• Visualise a box in your head labelled “Expectations”
• Engage in physical activity and exercise your body
• Focus all your energy on something you can control
• Express your feelings through a creative outlet like blogging or painting

These are all effective ways of helping us let go of frustrations and help us to see all the positives that exist.  When we feel good about ourselves, our intimate conversations with ourselves are positive and not negative.  We need to bear in mind that for every emotional issue we may experience, there is an equal physical outlet for it. We need to focus on our emotions regularly because when we understand our emotions we are able to replace them with facts and engage ourselves through meditation, prayer, affirmations, breathing and taking time out to just be.  We need to be still and reflect on what we perceive our own surroundings to be without distractions.

Once we have evaluated our situation and understand what type of conversation we have been having with ourselves then we can adjust where necessary.  In mastering all of this, we will have no problems being present and thus see the power and benefits that come from healing ourselves from within.

You have the power to heal yourself.  Be aware of what is causing your unease and change it!

Set your Intention

Intention is the starting point of every dream. It is the creative power that fulfills all of our needs, whether for money, relationships, spiritual awakening, or love. Everything that happens in the universe begins with intention.

According to Deepak Chopra in his book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, the Law of Intention and Desire lays out the five steps for harnessing the power of intention to create anything you desire.

1. Slip into the gap
2. Release your intentions and desires
3. Remain centred in a state of restful awareness
4. Detach from the outcome
5. Let the universe handle the details

According to Marcia Wieder, America’s Dream Coach,  the Four Intentional Steps are:

1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.
2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.
3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.
4. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step.

By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do.
Set an intention to redefine what it means to be serious about your dreams

The Power of Self-Preservation

Here is a good start:

• Our esteem, confidence and image
• Our values that are the cornerstone of our life
• Our motivation that gets us to do the things that we do
• Our talents which help us to achieve our goals
• Our growth that has made us the person we are today
• Our development that enhances and boosts our efforts at improvement
• How we manage ourselves – maintain our efforts that we not only keep what we have but accomplish more and meet new challenges
• Our discipline that helps keep us on the path we walk
• Our control that helps keep the elements of our life (and this list is an important part of that) in balance and helping us move forward
• Our personality that we are able to live, able to give, able to share, able to contribute
• Our behavior so that it moves along with our growth and development our life that it be fresh, renewed and bright, and us in harmony with it
• Our attitude that it be good and wholesome, free yet flexible, strong and determined, giving and resolute

Tips to Believing in Yourself

1. Remember self-belief is learnable
2. Deal with the inner negative voice
3. Flip a weakness into strength
4. Develop your ‘SUPER POWERS’
5. Be your own motivational coach
6. Do ‘Hero training‘
7. Create a powerful vision of yourself

The Power of  being Centered

Being centered means having a reference point, a place to come back to when life and emotions and stress push you off balance.

1. Visualise
2. Train your subconscious brain
3. Develop faith that things always turn out okay
4. Keep your eyes and heart focused on how you can add value to the world each day

Conclusion

Life has taught me to:

• Be Accepting
• Be Surrendered
• Be a Work harder
• Be confident
• Be Vulnerable
• Be humble
• Be reliable

Embrace each other and unite as one powerful force

“The growth of one blesses all, I am committed to grow in love, I move through this world consciously and creatively” – Julie Cameron
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” – John Adams