Reflections

I’d like to take some time this week for reflection.

Those who read my weekly papers know my great interests include:

• Leadership. It is the center of my leadership consulting and coaching practice and my work with my clients.

• Organizational culture. It makes such a difference in achieving outstanding success on a sustainable basis. I have experienced a winning culture, and find that it creates better results, higher productivity, and better service because people are happier, more aligned and eager to share.

• Helping women in business advance and succeed. Women are every bit as intelligent, capable and devoted to superior service and work as men and, in fact, have the edge on men in very key leadership skills, for example: relationships, conversations, asking questions, listening to understand and learn, and being inclusive.

• Bosses as highly effective leaders. This includes bosses understanding leadership competencies, what servant leadership means and how important it is, that she/he has a responsibility to help her/his people learn, grow and succeed, and that it is also a boss’s responsibility to learn whether or not she/he is, in fact, actually effective as a leader. I encourage the use of a 360 assessment, done well by an experienced and skilled facilitator. Everyone has areas of potential improvement and most of us have blind spots.

• Career advancement. Everyone wants to do well and be successful. Being good bosses and good leaders is our duty, and, ideally, we are also committed to acting as effective mentors, coaches, and/or sponsors. If we help others advance, our people will learn, grow and succeed, we will learn about our own leadership competencies, and we will have the satisfaction of helping others, which is what life is all about, or should be!

• Striving for continuous improvement. Everyone. Always. Continuous improvement is the path to success. It’s founded on humility – the foundation of growth. And having the inner confidence to admit, yes, I may be good at what I do, and I know I can be better and getting advice and help is a sign of strength.

I am very fortunate. My clients are extremely bright, humble, dedicated and caring. I continually learn from them.

I feel blessed to have my leadership consulting and coaching practice at this stage of my career. I love what I am doing, helping and inspiring people, as they are helping and inspiring me.