Lessons in Leadership

Have you ever considered what an honor it is when someone asks you for your opinion? Think about how courageous it is for someone to admit to themselves that they don’t have all the answers and need help (or at least a different perspective). The act of asking for help is courageous in that you are vulnerable. When you ask, you risk rejection. Worse, you risk ridicule. When someone asks you, they must trust you more than you can even imagine. They are willing to risk rejection and ridicule, but because they trust you, they perceive their risk is lower and their vulnerability is less compromised. Do you realize what an honor this is? They TRUST you. They VALUE your opinion. How we respond to such requests shows our true character. Do we take the time to truly consider their requests and provide our full attention to their problem? Or, do we squeeze in a moment to take a quick look and offer a general comment that anyone – even total strangers – could have provided? The...

The ups and downs of life.   Do you expect them? Or do you react to them in surprise?   Life is a roller coaster with highs and   lows, twists and turns, and big dips and steep elevations.   It’s a thrill ride and a ride from hell all at the same time.    When we realize that our lives are meant to be an adventure – full of exhilarating thrills and incredible disappointments, we wake up to a whole new world.   We can   enjoy and treasure the good along with the bad.   Without the bad, we can never realize how “good” the good times are.   And without the bad, we never have an opportunity to see how far we can stretch, what challenges we can overcome.   Yes, the bad times are good for us, too.   The trick is to look for the silver lining and figure out the lesson we can learn during these hard times.    With each lesson learned, we gain tools and skills for the curves ahead.   The road doesn’t get easier, but w...