Words from a Wise Man: Great Leaders Grow
Yes, I know this blog is usually about great women leaders (not men). The world has seen and heard from a lot of great male leaders already. I like to talk about great women leaders most…and tonight I am making a partial exception.
I have a new book in my hands that was given to me by one of the authors. He is one of the most insightful, powerful and compassionate individuals in business today. He is one of the most influential leadership experts in the world and is respected for his years of groundbreaking work in the fields of leadership and management. He is part of an incredibly successful, 33 year old company (making over $60 million this year). He built this empire with his wife, his brother-in-law, his son and his daughter. His name is Dr. Ken Blanchard. He is a household name in the world of leadership experts. His wife is Dr. Margie Blanchard and she was by his side speaking as an equal at the presentation I attended tonight. What a treat to see a FAMILY of leaders that are helping others and impacting the world!
Here are some bits of advice that I gathered from this family of experienced, relationship-centered, servant leaders. I hope you will find them helpful as you look into leadership in your own life:
- Work with people you care about.
- Find mentors who can inspire and expand you.
- Find something you love to do and spend your time on that.
- If you are “working for the weekend” and saying “TGIF” every Friday, find something else to do.
- Making a difference in the world will make a difference in you and the quality of people you get to hang with.
- Practice what you preach.
- Have fun!
For my friends who are budding entrepreneurs, or who dream of someday starting their own company, I took notes for you tonight. Before you start a business (or before you continue to put all you have into one), make sure you pass these four test questions first:
1. Joy Test. Do you love what you are doing? If you love what you are doing, then don’t worry so much about the how to create a successful company around that – go find mentors to help you with that part. The passion and love for your gifts is something nobody else can create for you.
2. Purpose Test. Does what you are doing serve a purpose that people will pay you for? Is there a demand for what you are offering that will result in revenue coming in? (if not, you can still do it, but it will be a hobby, not a business).
3. Creativity Test. Build what you love doing and find creative ways to expand it for multiple income streams. If you are a service provider, consider developing a product to compliment your service. Build a training program to teach others what you do. Diversity your gift and creatively build upon it.
4. Perpetual Prosperity Test. Are you creating prosperity for others in the world through your business and gifts? Serve others and the wealth will return to you.
The new book is called Great Leaders Grow – Becoming a Leader for Life by Ken Blanchard & Mark Miller. I am cracking the binding on it right now and will continue to learn all I can and will keep growing.
Never stop growing!
Meet Jill: Another Amazing Woman Changing the World!
See that gorgeous smiling woman standing at the bottom of the stairs (right above the red baseball caps)? That is my friend, Jill Santa. She is an amazing woman who is making a difference. I met Jill at a coaches collaboration meeting with several other iPEC graduates in Scottsdale. Jill started the program just this month to become a professional certified coach. The coaching community and the world is fortunate to have this amazing woman stepping forward to make a difference. Here is her story:
“For years I read articles about the plight of orphans and poverty-stricken people around the world and wanted to help. However, with a corporate career and a son who is now in first grade, the time had not been right for me to get personally involved. However, recently Highlands Church announced that they would take a small group to Haiti to assist with building a new orphanage to move a group of children from decrepit housing. The effort is being overseen by Chances for Children, a very well-run non-profit that focuses on education, community programs and orphan care in Haiti. My husband and I agreed that this was an excellent cause and the time was right for me to go; he would stay home with our son.
Our team of 27 had an extremely productive and rewarding week in Kenscoff, Haiti. In addition to assisting with constructing a chicken coup for the new orphanage, helping with trusses for a community center and laying cement steps, we had the privilege of spending afternoons with 36 children from the orphanage. We offered a five day vacation school with crafts, games, and stories. The children were extremely receptive – their enthusiasm, warmth and love astounded our team. The Haitians were friendly and welcoming; many of us left committed to continuing our service and attention to these people. Lynda and I agreed that there are tremendous synergies between her work developing leaders around the world and the needs in Haiti so we are going to explore this – stay tuned!
What a difference a couple of people can make! Kathi Juntunen founded Chances for Children after visiting this beautiful but impoverished country, and personally oversees the work. She lives in Scottsdale with her husband and three adopted Haitian children when she is not in Haiti. See Kathi’s blog for pictures and to keep up with progress on this amazing project!”
– Jill Santa
Women changing the world celebrate others who make a difference!
Meet Lilia; Compassionate, Action Leader!
We need more strong, compassionate, intelligent and action-oriented women in leadership. Anyone who has met me for longer than five minutes knows that this is my passion. I spend the majority of my professional life in the circles of women who are changing the world, so, it is no surprise that I am often introduced through mutual connections to amazing women who aspire to bigger leadership roles. Today was a particularly special meeting for me because the person I got to spend the morning with isn’t only aspiring to be a great leader, she already is one and she is reaching out for more. I am honored to be among her supporters; her name is Lilia Alvarez. She is running for the Board of County Supervisors in the 2012 election.
Now, anyone who has known me more than ten minutes can tell you that I am not a politically motivated person and, in fact, generally do not regularly keep company with politicians. Ifind the current state of the AZ political scene to be frustrating at best. Lilia is an exception for me. She is not a “politician”, she is a compassionate, articulate, relevant, action oriented, highly intelligent leader who is living every day by her VALUES of integrity and respect. She is not financially motivated and she has the rare ability to truly be present with others, listen to differing opinions, valuing the input of all sides and finding clarity before taking action that addresses the human factor first. She is one of the few politicians I have met who truly does care and works hard every day to stay connected to the people she serves, the actual people in her district.
Changing the world through compassion, community and leadership are at the core of all I do and my life’s purpose. I found a kindred spirit in Lilia and for the first time in a long time I am excited about the possibility of what changes at the decision making level could be made with Lilia holding a seat at the table.
Want to know more? I encourage you to contact her and invite her to come share with your groups. I am definitely inviting her to all of mine. She is someone we all can be proud to be connected with.
https://www.facebook.com/AlvarezforSupervisor
Women Changing the World – Lilia is one of them!
Making a Difference
I didn’t start out doing big things. I grew into them. Walking 60 miles for women with breast cancer as co-captain of an amazing team didn’t happen overnight. Going to China for six weeks to facilitate women’s leadership wasn’t done on a whim and without ten months of preparation first. Running a full marathon in Alaska for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research happened one step at a time, over five months of training. The end results were big events that drew attention, but the real difference was made along the journey.
How did I get started? I cared about the plight of others and I put my change in the donation jar. I stopped looking away to shield myself from the pain and struggle of others. I went from asking “how can this be happening?” and took the next step to asking “how can I help to change this?”. I asked myself what I wanted to get out of being in service. I knew that what I wanted most was to leave the world better than I found it and surround myself with other people who cared too. I wanted to live in the energy of hope and action, not pity or despair. I wanted to live a life worth remembering. I wanted to be a good example to my children and leave a legacy of service instilled in the next generation.
What do you want to get from being a person who makes a difference?
Discover what you feel most passionate about. What need elicits the greatest response in you? Homeless animals? Abused children? Illness? Hunger? Multi-cultural intolerance? Domestic violence? Illiteracy? Bullying? There is not a cause out there that can’t use another helping hand connected to a caring heart.
I have many passions and there is always more to do. Together, we can be more, do more and have a better world and lives worth remembering.
Want to get more involved in being an positive force of change in the world but aren’t quite sure how to get started? Contact me and I can help you find your way. There is always room for more Women Changing the World!
One World of Amazing Women
Right now there is a girl who lives on the other side of the ocean who does not have any idea that you exist. Until you started reading this, you might not have thought about her either…but she is there. She doesn’t know what life is like outside of her village. She hasn’t met other women from other places who help her expand her world and who encourage her to dream bigger, to grow in new ways, to be part of the solution to the challenges in the world. She has no idea how powerful she is. She does not realize that she can change the world. Do you? Can you help her? Would you, if you knew how?
I can show you how, but I cannot move you into action without your own desire to be part of the solution. You have much to offer the next generation of women across the world simply by being you. If you are looking for a way to get started, then I have a very simple and easy way to begin. Today. On email. Be a mentor. In just a few emails a month you can make an impact on another life. I have several hundred college age women waiting to connect with an American mentor to help her expand her world. You will be amazed at how it expands yours as well.
Contact me today for more info: lkbishop@cox.net
Women Changing the World.
