Focusing Inward
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not"
-Dr. Seuss from The Lorax
I saw The Lorax with my family last weekend and as usual with movies my kids want to see, I didn't go into it all that excited. It isn't that I don't like those movies; I am just not really a movie person. Although I am rarely excited to go to the movies, I usually find something to take away from the experience and apply to my life. Seeing The Lorax was no exception.
I went into my last post about developing a leadership point of view with the intention of writing a follow up detailing my personal point of view. When I sat down to write it, I realized it was harder than I had originally thought. Everything I have written in Renewing Leadership represents my point of view, but as someone who has a tendency to use 20 words when I could have used 10, there are times when I need to challenge myself to break it down and focus in on the core concepts. I think sometimes the study of leadership and its application has the potential leave us lost in a web of words. There are so many thoughts and ideas on the subject that are worth consideration, but what are the golden nuggets that should drive our everyday actions.
The quote I started with from The Lorax spoke to me because of its simplicity. We live in an increasingly complex world full of difficult situations that do not always have a clear answer. In my work with student leaders, I try to help them navigate challenging situations by identifying core values and applying those values to the situation in order to move forward. The identification of those values is the key and something we all need to check in with from time to time.
In my work recently I have felt a strong need to check in and switch my focus inward to assess how I can live my leadership values and apply them to increasing complex and challenging situations. This inward focus has also provided an opportunity to determine what I can affect and what is beyond my scope of control. I think often we are challenged by trying to advance ideas or change that has more to do with others than looking internally at what can be implemented within our own locus of control.
As I take this inward focus, I am excited to celebrate the small accomplishments that make the organizations I work with better places for all of those who are involved in them. Making leadership more inclusive does not mean we have to change leadership structures overnight. It can mean that we take the time to check in with how people in our organizations are feeling about our work. It can mean reaching across boundaries to listen to the experience of others. It can mean a wide array of simple things each and everyone one of us can do every day to take an inward look at how we can be more inclusive and do our part of make the experience of others in our organization the best it can be.
In essence, to be a leader and to make a difference to others requires us to care...a whole awful lot...and to take that ethic of care and apply it inward to prepare ourselves to be the best we can be.
-Dr. Seuss from The Lorax
I saw The Lorax with my family last weekend and as usual with movies my kids want to see, I didn't go into it all that excited. It isn't that I don't like those movies; I am just not really a movie person. Although I am rarely excited to go to the movies, I usually find something to take away from the experience and apply to my life. Seeing The Lorax was no exception.
I went into my last post about developing a leadership point of view with the intention of writing a follow up detailing my personal point of view. When I sat down to write it, I realized it was harder than I had originally thought. Everything I have written in Renewing Leadership represents my point of view, but as someone who has a tendency to use 20 words when I could have used 10, there are times when I need to challenge myself to break it down and focus in on the core concepts. I think sometimes the study of leadership and its application has the potential leave us lost in a web of words. There are so many thoughts and ideas on the subject that are worth consideration, but what are the golden nuggets that should drive our everyday actions.
The quote I started with from The Lorax spoke to me because of its simplicity. We live in an increasingly complex world full of difficult situations that do not always have a clear answer. In my work with student leaders, I try to help them navigate challenging situations by identifying core values and applying those values to the situation in order to move forward. The identification of those values is the key and something we all need to check in with from time to time.
In my work recently I have felt a strong need to check in and switch my focus inward to assess how I can live my leadership values and apply them to increasing complex and challenging situations. This inward focus has also provided an opportunity to determine what I can affect and what is beyond my scope of control. I think often we are challenged by trying to advance ideas or change that has more to do with others than looking internally at what can be implemented within our own locus of control.
As I take this inward focus, I am excited to celebrate the small accomplishments that make the organizations I work with better places for all of those who are involved in them. Making leadership more inclusive does not mean we have to change leadership structures overnight. It can mean that we take the time to check in with how people in our organizations are feeling about our work. It can mean reaching across boundaries to listen to the experience of others. It can mean a wide array of simple things each and everyone one of us can do every day to take an inward look at how we can be more inclusive and do our part of make the experience of others in our organization the best it can be.
In essence, to be a leader and to make a difference to others requires us to care...a whole awful lot...and to take that ethic of care and apply it inward to prepare ourselves to be the best we can be.
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