What is Leadership?

What does that mean, leadership? It’s a big word, kind of hard to describe, like love.

Like love, leadership is a feeling, an urge, an inspiration. And like love, leadership only counts when you take responsibility for your urge and act on it. That act is just the beginning of a journey, because like love, leadership isn’t a single act, it is a way of life.

Leadership is continuing to take responsibility by being present to the impact of your action. Then reflecting, is this the outcome I intended?  Sometimes the impact is not at all what you intended. This is where responsibility kicks in because now you have the humbling work of leadership to do:

·         forgive yourself,

·         learn from your mistakes,

·         celebrate your courage to make the mistakes,

·         be grateful for the gifts of the experience,

·         ask for the forgiveness of others,

·         do what you can to make it right,

·         reconnect with your inspiration,

·         and put yourself out there again.

This last step is harder than it sounds.  Especially, after many mistakes or big mistakes.  Why?  Well I don’t know about you, but for me sometimes I come up against a wall. That wall is myself, my doubt, my lack of confidence, my insignificance, my fear, my inadequacy, my exhaustion, (the list goes on, as you may have experienced at one time or another).

This is why true leadership is so inspiring, because it requires vulnerability and intimacy. It requires me to risk being fully who I am (including my failings) for the sake of something bigger and more important than me alone.

I must allow myself to be touched, moved and inspired, to feel the sadness and the hurt, to feel the hope and inspiration, to be present and be a part of it ... all of it, including the mess of it.  This is humanity.  This is love.  This is leadership.

An Invitation to Leadership

Shirlaws Coaching is about changing people’s lives.

The Seattle Team in particular is about raising consciousness.

Nice words, but what does that mean exactly?

It means leadership.

I am energized and inspired by leadership.  I seek to grow my own and to use it to grow leadership in others.

What does that mean, leadership? It’s a big word, kind of hard to describe, like love.

Like love, leadership is a feeling, an urge, an inspiration.  And like love, leadership only counts when you take responsibility for your urge and act on it.  That act is just the beginning of a journey, because like love, leadership isn’t a single act, it is a way of life.

Over the next few postings, I will share thoughts on leadership, what it is and post examples. Let's start with a few 4 minute videos to give you examples of leadership being expressed in a variety of ways:
Business really filling a need
Child calling governments to take leadership
Comedian calling people to live from gratitude, instead of entitlement

With these postings, I hope to call out in you your leadership and what it means to you, right now, as it is. I want to hear your stories. I want to share your stories. Let us energize, inspire and uphold each other on our walk. Let us connect on what is important and move it forward.

Love,

Kristina

Here's to YOU!

We can’t begin to thank you enough.  What magic there is when people come together to support each other.  The first Catch the First Wave to kick-off Seattle was a success!  How do we know, because you were there.  You came with your questions, looking for ideas to better reach and serve your clients.  Your dedication to your business is an inspiration to us all. 

We want to give special thanks to our guest speakers Blaine Millet and Clay Loges of Social Media for Executives who opened our eyes to the Social Media Revolution.

And to Marc Johnstone of Shirlaws Coaching for exposing us to the Recovery Equation.  And to the rest of the Shirlaws team that flew in from California, just to meet you all, including our CEO, Eric Bergen, our Chairman, Adrian Bray, Shirlaws Partner, Tom Loeswick, and Shirlaws Coach, Rebecca Young.

So what can you do now, to move these ideas out of the workshop and into your business?  Ask Shirlaws Seattle about our Capability Assessment, Functionality Project or explore a Growth Strategy.  As a Catch the First Wave participant, contact us in October and this 90 minute session is your gift, complements of Shirlaws Seattle.

Thank you again for honoring us with your valuable time.  We look forward to the opportunity to continue to build our relationship for the benefit of all.

Here’s to You and Your Success!