Here’s my email to leaders in Reno County from Monday, 10/8/12:
I was searching for some inspiration this morning on how to best encourage all the fabulous leaders in Reno County and was mindlessly hearing SportsCenter recap the NFL happenings (specifically the Washington Redskins game), when I heard it: “For RGIII to be the leader he needs to be on the field, he’s going to have to learn to manage himself better.” Oddly familiar isn’t it? There are many things that are consistently on our minds as leaders. One of the core leadership principles is that “It starts with you and must engage others.” Further, in the leadership competencies we have this idea of managing self. Now, sure, we would expect that a highly touted quarterback making millions would need to manage himself to best serve the organization. For him, this means knowing when to put down his head and plow into a cornerback or when to hand the ball off or throw it away. But, our leadership opportunities are just as serious and vital to our progress in this community.
If we really believe that leadership is an activity in which it starts with us and must engage others, then being aware of ourselves, managing ourselves, will indeed have ramifications in our leadership in this community. Let me remind you of some of the aspects of managing self:
- Know your strengths, vulnerabilities and triggers
- Know the story others tell about you
- Choose among competing values
- Get used to uncertainty and conflict
- Experiment beyond your comfort zone
- Take care of yourself