When leading, don’t discount
your “everyday glory!”
Don’t get me wrong, I am all
for the grand gesture, the going all in, that big leap of faith that changes
everything! More often than not, however, it is the small steps of everyday
effort and everyday courage that brings about everyday glories! Let me share
how a documentary got me thinking out loud about this.
To start, we need to do a
quick rewind. Growing up in the deep South our musical options were limited. We
listened to southern rock, but we celebrated in Motown! That’s
kind of what happens when the Allman Brothers and Otis Redding share the same
geography! With that in mind, needless to say progressive rock bands from
Ottawa, Canada were not a priority on our local radio stations play rotation.
Stay with me here.
This brings us to present day.
I was recently viewing a documentary of the Canadian band, RUSH and their final U.S. concert
tour. One of their avid fans was sharing how the song, “Everyday Glory” provided
him the motivation to recover from a debilitating accident. OK, so now I am
really curious how a song can have that kind of impact so allow me to share
some lyrics.
Everyday
Sunrise
Another
Everyday Story
Rise
from the Ashes Ablaze
With
Everyday Glory!
If the
Futures Looking Dark
We’re
the Ones Who Have to Shine
If There
is No One In Control
We’re
the Ones that Draw the Line
Though
We Live in Trying Times
We’re
the Ones that Have to Try
Though
We Know Time has Wings
We’re
the Ones who Have to Fly
No
Matter What They Say
Rise
from the Ashes Ablaze
With
Everyday Glory
I believe at the end of the
day, that is what people expect leaders to do.
- Just make something a little bit better
- Just make someone’s life a little bit easier
- Just make your team a little bit stronger
I think one of the reasons that leaders often don’t attempt to do so is that they think they have to “go big or go home.” I also believe that is why people hesitate to take on leadership roles because they are under the false belief, they are not a big enough personality to do so. Nothing can be further from the truth. Just go. Just try. Just rise!
I have recently earned a credential as a certified Designing Your Life coach. This content is based upon the innovate work done by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans from the Stanford University Design Your Life Studio. One of the strategies shared in designing the life you want is called “Setting the Bar Low and Clearing It.” Essentially, in order to be more effective and prevent ourselves from being hampered by overwhelm, we just need to set small, incremental goals and achieve them with consistent effort. The point is these small efforts eventually add up to big results! Like the song says, we just have to try.
Trust me, I know this can be exhausting and that is why making the commitment to be an effective leader is an incredibly selfless act. Sometimes we just have to be strong for others when we feel weak ourselves. Sometimes we just have to believe in and for them when we often doubt ourselves. Sometimes we just have show up and hold the line when we are not sure we have the strength. That’s OK. Your folks don’t need you to be bigger than life . . . they just need you to care about theirs. That is certainly doable, right? You can clear that bar, can’t you? Of course, you can and that is what it means to achieve an everyday glory!
Kouzes and Posner in their work, The Leadership Challenge, share that we face small “moments of truth” everyday and all the time. Often, we are not even aware of them, but your impact and influence grows with that encouraging word, the one innovate idea, that extra effort, that everyday glory.
If you would like to learn more about the Designing Your Life approach, please visit, https://designingyour.life/ Also, here is a link to the lyrics and song of Everyday Glory - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3g3aJMq3zk
As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.
Yours in leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Certified DISC Profile System
Consultant and Gallup Strengths Coach
Certified Designing Your Life Coach
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com
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John Maxwell Team, please visit
http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/
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