Hi There Leader, Let Me Introduce You to Yourself!

In his book, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn!, John Maxwell tells us that challenges and setbacks introduces leaders to themselves. Seeing that John’s current major client is the entire country of Paraguay, I have a feeling he knows what he is talking about! He goes on to say that challenging experiences do not create character, it reveals it!

This got me thinking out loud about certain challenging situations the truly test our character (not to mention our patience!) and lift the curtain on who we really are! Here are just a few of the common challenges that I think many leaders face:

• Balancing Life and Work
• Personnel Challenges in the Workplace
• Creating Buy-In
• Maintaining Competitive Advantage
• Focusing Efforts and Energy

Along with those, we also have to deal with “life stuff”:

• Personal Losses
• Health Issues
• Financial Stress
• Relationships (enough said!)

You see the point being, lots of time those of us in the leadership development world love to talk about how great leadership is and something we should all aspire to. Granted, it is and we should, however, the fact of the matter is leadership is hard. Leadership can be frustrating. Leadership often tests us.

In fact, I offer a seminar called the Challenge-Side of Leadership because I think it is important to equip leaders to face the tougher parts of being one. Here are a few things that I believe can help when you are a leader in challenge:

• Choose a POSTIVE Life Stance
• Embrace and Develop your CREATIVITY
• Embrace the VALUE of Bad Experiences
• Make GOOD CHANGES after Learning from Bad Experiences
• Take RESPONSIBILITY for your LIFE

One of my favorite leadership affirmations is the following from Dr. Martin Luther King that appears on a marker on the Washington DC Mall that commemorates his famous “I Have  A Dream” speech:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

So how are you measuring up these days? What is the most pressing challenge you are facing? What are you learning about yourself in terms of how you are dealing with it?

As always, if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

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