Here’s my 2/24/14AM email to Leadership Reno County alumni:
“This leadership stuff is difficult. I mean I have wonderful ideas it’s just all these people around me that need to change.” Sure we don’t verbalize much of this sentiment, but isn’t it laying dormant as a very real reality in our thoughts? We’re not the problem…all THOSE people are. Today, I want to remind you of one of the competencies at the core of our engaging in acts of leadership: Manage Self. When we are thinking that everyone else is the problem, we’re forgetting that leadership starts with you and must engage others. Today, then, it might be the case that you have a managing self issue more than a “THOSE people” issue. Know your strengths, vulnerabilities and triggers. Know the story others tell about you. Choose among the competing values waging war in your heart. Get used to uncertainty and conflict. Experiment beyond your comfort zone. Take care of yourself. As you engage in these managing self behaviors, you’ll jump start your engagement and undoubtedly be more effective. So, today, do the hard stuff—change yourself—and see if this doesn’t help you make progress in this issues you care about.