Your Leadership GPS- leading with success

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking amongst a great line up of speakers, including: Michele Bailey, Blazing THE Agency, Jessica Jackley co-founder of Kiva.org, Denise Leclair, Bedouin Beats Ltd, Tara Kelly, SPLICE Software, and Cidnee Stephen, Strategies for Success. Each of the speakers brought rich content and value to the event, and the incredible business women that attended!

Your Leadership GPS was the topic I was speaking on, a topic that I am most passionate about, and one that is essential for business owners. "Leadership is a decision, not a position" is a statement by an author I respect, David Irvine. He has a valuable perspective on leadership, building trust, and developing authentic leadership skills. I also spoke about some of the qualities of great leaders, such as leadership maturity, humility, the ability to forgive and to ask for help. Reminding the audience that "it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be possible" is a message I love to share, especially since I am a recovering perfectionist. As a leader, your results will give you a pretty good idea of your mindset and your leadership blueprint.

Some tips to enhancing your leadership GPS:

- create a mindset of success
- develop affirmations that are congruent with the type of leader you wish to be
- know your working style and how to work with other's whose style is different from yours
- have the courageous dialogues (the conversations that matter most and are mostly avoided)
- develop your ASK skills
- learn to forgive (self and others)
- systematize what you do


We talked about the importance of mindset, and setting your intention for the day, which is what I call "Framing Your Day". The video I enjoy sharing is titled Jessica's Affirmations, you can watch it here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg

Framing your Day is making an intentional decision of how you intend to
show up in the world, what leadership you will demonstrate and how
you intend your day will go.

Read the article that Alberta Women Entrepreneurs wrote about me here:

http://www.awebusinessaspx/?id=922


To find out more about Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, their services and the incredible conference speakers, visit: http://www.awebusiness.com/


To find out more about the books that I referenced in the presentation, visit:

                  


                   

Tough Lessons In Leadership

Leadership comes with learning, and some tough learning. Michele Bailey of Blazing the Agency, a marketing company in Ontario, inspired the audience at a recent Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Conference where I was also speaking. Michele shared her story, which included some very difficult and painful experiences and learnings, but were also rich with leadership learnings.


Michele talked about the importance of listening to your gut. This is so important in leadership and in business. I have learned if something just doesn’t feel right, it usually isn’t. The trouble often comes from ignoring the yellow alerts that come our way. I think everyone has experienced this as a leader, and in life.

Having checks and balances is a critical component to running a business and leadership stated Michele. What type of checks and balances do you have in your team, in your business, and in goal setting to ensure you are on track? Trusting people (e.g. trusting and believing stuff will get done) simply is not enough. Michele urged leaders to ensure they put in place checks and balances for all aspects of running a business.

I so appreciated Michele’s comments about the importance of giving back. This is something I am proud of in my business; we give back, pay it forward, and serve as champions for others. This creates a cycle of reciprocity in giving, and in kindness. Michele provided examples of how other peoples’ generosity allowed her to give back and pay it forward.

Do you surround yourself with talented people? Michele stressed the importance of ensuring your team is skilled, professional, and that as a leader, you surround yourself with positive people.  I discovered that when you surround yourself with positive and talented people, the solutions to problems surface much quicker!

Michele also spoke about the importance of connecting with your passion and embracing your business. This really resonated with me, as the teams I work with (training, consulting and facilitating) experience higher levels of success when they engage, and bring more purpose and passion into their work. It was evident to me that Michele walks the talk. She is authentic, and an example of a leader, who has turned life and business challenges into opportunities, and despite challenges has come out more than a survivor…. She and her business are thrivers - blazing new trails in leadership- and in doing so, has inspired more people than she probably knows.  Michele is a great example of an individual and business that Bounces Forward!
We learn not only from our successes but also from the business challenges that make us stronger.

To find out more about Michele, Blazing the Agency, and their services, visit:

http://blazingtheagency.com/