Category: Skills Improvement

We all need a little personal development mixed in with our professional and career development. Read blogs in this category for personal skills improvement.

  • Leaders, Does Your Attitude Speak Gratitude?

    Leaders, Does Your Attitude Speak Gratitude?

    If you missed my “Authenticity, Gratitude and Leadership” blog, check it out here.

    Forbes published an article titled:  Great Leaders have an Attitude of Gratitude – Do You?

    Here is an exert that resonates with our theme:

    Gratitude Practice

    Close your eyes. Focus on a blessing in your life… something you are thankful for. See an image of this blessing in your mind’s eye. Offer a silent “thank you” to the person or object of your blessing.

    Relax into the feeling of gratitude. Take a deep breath. Feel more gratitude.

    The latest brain research shows that six doses of feeling 30 seconds of gratitude daily (a whopping three minutes!) will enable your neurons to fire together and wire together around gratitude within a mere two weeks.

    This means you’ll more easily and frequently access the feeling of gratitude.

    Heck, we’re grateful for that!

    Doing Good Feels Good

    When leaders engage in this practice on a regular basis, they are able to generate gratitude from within, which allows them to show gratitude to others. This practice also reinforces a feeling of gratitude as second nature because it reinforces myelination. All of these amazing results occur in under 60-seconds. We all have 60-seconds per day to devote to gratitude.

     

    Check out the full article here.

    Are you showing gratitude as a leader?

    #authenticity

  • Finding Your Own Path

    Finding Your Own Path

    A recent conversation with my eight-year old son made me realize just how early in life we begin to compare ourselves to others and try to adjust who we are to fit in with those around us.

    As we continue to explore authenticity, and specifically being true to yourself and not comparing yourself to others, I am reminded of this quote.

    Our journeys are each unique, the paths we take are ours alone.

    For a great article about one man’s journey to being authentically happy and his three principles for accepting yourself, read Paul Dalton’s story.

  • Authenticity, Gratitude and Leadership

    Authenticity, Gratitude and Leadership

    As I facilitated coaching sessions with several individuals the past couple of weeks, one question I asked each person was their opinion of what makes a great leader. The answers varied. However, I noticed one theme – leaders should “lead by example.”

    We have been talking about “authenticity” on the blog. With that in mind and reflecting on the sessions I mentioned, what is the connection between authenticity and being a great leader?

    In my previous blog, I focused on gratitude in relation to authenticity. So, what does that look like for leaders? These things come to mind:

    • Leaders lead by example – They never ask the team to do something they wouldn’t do themselves.
    • Leaders show gratitude by thanking their team. (Remember “praise in public, correct in private”).
    • Leaders know their team. (What are their likes and dislikes? When is their birthday?)

    So how can leaders display gratitude? Here are a few ideas:

    • Pitch in! Following the “lead by example” idea, when your team is working on a project, offer your help.
    • Recognize them for their accomplishments. The key here is to find out what they enjoy and make the reward customized. If your budget doesn’t allow for an actual “reward” (gift card, etc.), recognize them in a company email or begin a “employee of the month (or week)” program.
    • Find out each team members’ birthday and celebrate! If you have a large group, do a monthly birthday celebration with a cake.

    Find out more about authenticity by checking out related articles on The Point Blog.

  • “There’s no bathroom for me here…” Finding Your Voice

    “There’s no bathroom for me here…” Finding Your Voice

    I sat down to watch a movie a week or so ago with my husband.  I average getting through about one full movie a year (apart from the Disney movies that are constantly playing at my house…. “Let it go, Let it go…. Oh, I digress….) so I’m ahead of schedule this year.

    It was a movie I asked my husband to get, Hidden Figures, and after three months of it sitting in its Netflix case he told me it was time to watch it or he was simply going to send it back.

    So we watched it. I thought I’d fall asleep in the middle of it, but talk about a powerful film. If you haven’t seen it, see it.

    It’s the story of three brilliant black women working for NASA as the USA sought to get a person into space.

    Katherine Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson, is assigned to an important job and of course is the only African American female in the department. Her boss, played by Ken Costner realizes how smart she is and begins to rely heavily on her skills.

    Subscribers click through to view

     

    To be authentic, we have to find our voice.  We can’t shy away from it.  But, as we see from this scene, there are some important things to consider in finding and expressing our voice.

    1. For our voice to have power, we can’t force in on people. Katherine didn’t come right out and complain immediately about the bathroom situation. She worked to handle it the best she could.
    2. Sometimes our voice has to be solicited to be heard. And our voice is solicited when we demonstrate our competency and commitment. Katherine expressed her voice when her boss solicited it. Not before.  Because she was solicited it was heard.  I’m not saying this is at all right or fair.  Everyone should have a voice, especially when injustices exist, but to be heard we need to consider these first two points.
    3. Expressing our voice often allows us to address the big picture issues not just the current situation. This scene shows that Katherine not only addresses the specific issue of the bathroom, but she also addresses pay inequities and overall injustices and prejudices.
    4. Expressing our voice in an authentic way causes other people to act. You don’t see it in this clip, but if you’ve seen the movie you know the boss played by Kevin Costner addresses the inequities Katherine exposes through her voice.  He tears down the bathroom sign that doesn’t allow “coloreds” to use it.  He doesn’t let it go, and he doesn’t address it through his voice.  He addresses it through action.
    5. Which shows us, often our voice is loudest through our actions not our words. As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.”  Especially when you’re a leader like the boss in this film.   He was setting an example and precedent to show others what acceptable (and unacceptable) behavior in the organization looks like.

     

    When has the power of your voice led others to act?

     

     

     

  • Take time for the little things…

    Take time for the little things…

    As we continue to focus on authenticity and specifically “gratitude” in relation to living authentically, I thinks this quote says it all.

    What are you grateful for?

    Want to know how gratitude can change your life? Here is a great post for you to check out.

    Here are more posts on living in gratitude, part of our Year of Authenticity series, you may enjoy:

    Living in Gratitude

    Living Life Gratefully is Living Life Authentically

    2018 Is the Year of Authenticity