Innovation

The Serious Business of Play: How Lightening Up Fosters Innovation in the Workplace 

October 30, 2023ColleenLeadershipLeave a comment

“Play is training for the unexpected.” -Marc Bekoff 

Over the last several years, we’ve heard so often that times are uncertain and rapidly changing; it’s starting to feel a bit old, right?

Like it or not, most of us would agree that we’re living in wild times.  

Innovation…and a Curious Corporate Trend in the Post-COVID Era 

Most leaders recognize that innovation and change are inextricably linked, yet a curious trend has emerged in a post-COVID world:  

“When faced with unwanted change, leaders sometimes abandon innovation for the familiar. And lately, leaders have been confronted with almost non-stop change,” writes Dylan Taylor in Fast Company.  

Indeed, innovation is a sore subject at many companies: McKinsey’s research found that 94% of executives they surveyed were not satisfied with their company’s innovative performance.  

How, then, can today’s leaders flex with the times while continuing to drive the innovation essential to survival in an increasingly competitive business world?  

Think outside the box for the creative answer… 

Play! 

Therein lies the key to successful innovation. But first, leaders must cultivate a workplace atmosphere of lightness where creativity can find the freedom it needs to emerge.  

In all of my workshops, music has a big role…why? Because in moving to the beat – however fast or slow it may be – we shift more into our right brains. This is where our creativity and intuition – keys to innovation – reside. It’s not that we don’t need the logic which lies in our left brains (of course we do!), it’s just that many of us try to access innovation from a place of reason – which doesn’t make sense (lol). 

“Innovation is creativity with a job to do.” – John Emmerling 

Here are 3 more helpful hints any leader can start implementing as soon as today.  

1. Lay a Foundation of Trust in the Workplace. 

Before people can feel free and encouraged to bring their unique humanness into the workplace, it’s up to leaders to establish a learning culture that is psychologically safe for all.  

In a Forbes article called “How Can Leaders Unlock the Creativity Of Their Teams?”, author Sally Percy explains exactly what the term “psychological safety” means. It’s pretty simple: “it refers to an organizational context where people feel safe to take risks and make mistakes.” 

To build this into the workplace, start with a foundation of trust and mutual respect – consider this a prerequisite to creativity, which ultimately fosters innovation. Here are some pointers: 

  • Listen loudly, speak softly: be present in conversations.  
  • Be open and vulnerable so others feel like they can approach you.  
  • Admit your humanness as a leader (i.e., no one can know it all).  
  • Leverage mistakes as powerful learning opportunities.  

2. Challenge convention. 

That coveted atmosphere of lightness where team members and leaders alike feel the freedom to play (and innovate) never comes with the hum-drum of an “It’s always been done this way” mentality. At every turn, we leaders must challenge the rut of worn-out corporate “norms.” To do so, follow these 3 tips: 

  • Encourage honest dialogue so people can discuss – and reflect – as a team. It’s easy for leaders to fall into the status trap where they feel almost required to keep “everything” “on track” according to a narrow viewpoint of how they think things should be. This instantly cuts off innovation. Instead, lightness shines when people get curious and feel comfortable openly sharing their thoughts. This is where the necessity for role-modeling and a strong level of trust comes in: people will not be open if they fear there will be consequences to their words. But when they see us as leaders sharing honestly, it helps them let their guard down, too. 
  • Watch out for pre-conceived judgments that stifle creativity. Brainstorming is key to innovation. This can be a tough one for leaders to follow, because it’s so easy to make (often erroneous) assumptions. Here’s where self-reflection is beneficial – take a few minutes out each day to reflect on how you interacted with others. Would you have done anything different? How did your judgements influence a situation you encountered?  
  • Be agile enough to think long- and short-term to stay grounded. When times are changing as rapidly as they are, it’s easy to fall into a trap of the break/fix mentality. We get caught up in the moment, our vision clouded to the bigger picture. That’s not how true innovation is fostered. The most impactful leaders can switch between long- and short-term visioning to focus on what is strategically the best and most impactful steps toward getting there.  

3. Make time for innovation – and reward it. 

It sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? But often there’s a disconnect: many organizations say they value innovation, yet they aren’t actually making the time for it.  

In a timeless article called “Creating a Culture of Innovation Starts With the Leader”, author Ric Kelly gives examples of what can happen when a company creates the space needed for innovation:  

  • 3M debuted its 15 percent program back in 1948 – 15% of employees’ time was devoted to innovation. The infamous Post-It note was a byproduct of this. Who knew?! 
  • Other well-known organizations found similar success. Google, for instance, birthed Gmail and Google Earth during their 20% time…   

Every leader wants innovation, but we have to be willing to actively promote it as a routine practice – in literally every aspect of corporate life. For instance, encourage employees to go through their day with an “innovative lens” to see how even ordinary tasks might be improved.  

Also, very importantly: remember to acknowledge people for their ideas! From a simple thank you and some genuine dialogue with a team member to monetary compensation and even gifting (like Zappos does), we must reward others for their contributions. This, in turn, fosters a continual prosperous cycle of lightness and innovation.  

“I want to put a Ding! In the Universe.” – Steve Jobs 

If you want to get a ding! in your own leadership walk: Sign up here to access my FREE Weekly Bolder Moves, delivered fresh to your inbox every Tuesday. 

Why a Growth Mindset is a Competitive Advantage for Any Leader

From Losing to Learning: Why a Growth Mindset is a Competitive Advantage for Any Leader

September 11, 2023ColleenLeadershipLeave a comment

“I never lose. I either win or learn.” – Nelson Mandela 

Failure …or learning opportunity? 

The number of people with whom I start working who equate not getting it right the first time as a “failure” surprises me. Surprises me because these already-worthy individuals seem quick – too quick – to (falsely) label themselves as not good enough. Surprises me also because by inaccurately categorizing their results, they not only waste time and energy entertaining a concept which I would argue doesn’t exist anyway, but they also create a missed opportunity to do even better next time. 

What would it look like if the word “failure” were forever banished from our vocabularies and the only viable alternative would be “learning opportunity”? I bet there would be many more people being kinder to themselves, many more innovative solutions found and, overall, a much happier world. 

Because the thing is, we don’t know what we don’t know until we know it. Might seem obvious, but how many of us expect ourselves to know what we don’t yet know and then get irritated with ourselves for not yet knowing it?  

How High Achievers Fall Prey to Shame 

Like the (many) times I shied away from learning German because I was afraid to – you guessed it – not get it right (read: sound stupid). But how, pray tell, could I have expected myself to ever learn that language if I don’t allow myself to just get started where I am – with all the mistakes that might entail?  

And I’m sure I’m not alone. Many of us – especially High Achievers – are great at keeping our bars very high. Most of us would argue that this is exactly how we have gotten so far in our lives and careers in the first place. 

 Well, yes – and no. “Yes” because maintaining a focus on excellence is a noble goal and has indeed served us and our leadership. “No” when we take our drive for excellence to the extreme of demanding perfection (an illusion) from ourselves. In this extreme case where mistakes are forbidden, we can fall prey to shame (Should Have Already Mastered Everything) and that is just plain and simply not ok. 

What to do?  

“The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss 

A Growth Mindset is for Real Leaders 

That’s where a growth mindset comes in. 

Learning offers both long- and short-term benefits to us as leaders and to the organization. The results are both impactful and lasting:  

  • We gain an opportunity to get new info and develop skills that can help solve stressful dilemmas – or even to fend off future stressors.  
  • Reflecting on what we’ve learned can increase our feelings of competence, confidence, and capability.  
  • Through learning, we connect to a greater purpose of continual growth and improvement, which fosters resilience.  
  • We learn to focus on solutions rather than problems, a mindset which can itself lighten our load and help attract better circumstances our way. 

While not always an easy task, when we can see every situation – both those which work in our favor and those which don’t – as opportunities for learning, we are not only catching on to the gist of life, but we are also laying a firmer foundation for our leadership.  

After all, real leaders, the ones who truly inspire, inspire others precisely because they know how to turn circumstances around to work for them and their teams. They have chutzpah. 

So how do we get to this shift toward a growth mindset?  

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
― Pablo Picasso 

The Stages of Learning: A Real-Life Example 

First, it starts with understanding what it means to learn. 

Consider the Stages of Learning below: 

Copyright:  Mindwerx International

Starting in the top-left box, first (as mentioned above) we don’t know what we don’t know. And why don’t we know it? Probably because we had never been exposed to or heard about this “new” subject.   

As with my earlier example, having grown up in Kentucky, USA, I had no use for the German language and had not regularly been exposed to German speakers. So, I was completely unaware of how much I didn’t know when it came to speaking German. 

Moving down to the bottom-left box of Conscious Incompetence, it can become painful when we become aware that we don’t know something. This is the stage where the rubber meets the road in learning. This is where I imagine many of us give up and/or start shaming (what a horrible “S” word!) ourselves for not already mastering something of which we just became aware.  

Once I started practicing speaking German, I felt like a fool: there I was a grownup and probably sounding like a three-year-old in my sentences…To say this experience was humbling was putting it mildly. But here’s the thing: how in the world could any of us possibly learn German – or any other language – without first taking the necessary steps (like putting strings of basic words together)? 

Practice, Stumble, Learn…and Practice Again 

So, we practice these new skills, and we stumble and learn and practice again. And we continue in this way until we come to the bottom-right stage: that of Conscious Competence. Here, we are aware that, thanks to our efforts, we are getting better in this area. However, the fact we still need to exert effort here also indicates that we have not yet fully embodied the learning.  

By this time, I was able to greet people and ask basic questions and order meals in restaurants in German. But it took some pre-thought each time (bits of sweat on my forehead were clear indicators). 

Unconscious Competence: The Realm of Mastery 

In practicing even more, we come upon Unconscious Competence. Here, we’re at mastery. In fact, the learning has become so much a part of us that we don’t have to think at all about acting upon what we have learned. We just do it. It’s who we are now. 

While I cannot say that I have mastered German (yet), I can say that I have experienced the pain of seeing the gap between my current skills and what I wanted them to be, practicing like crazy (with all the mistakes and hard learnings that are a natural part of that process) and coming out the other side to Unconscious Incompetence.  

And it feels like heaven. Truly “owning” those once-coveted-now-embodied skills makes all the seeming “losses” worth it. Because now we can see what the reason for them was:  to learn, to get better so we can attain mastery.    

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”
― Albert Einstein 

What it Means to Live a Growth Mindset 

We’ve seen why focusing on learning can be important, we’ve even looked at what the stages of learning are. But how, exactly, can one live out a continuous learning mindset? 

Here are some ways. 

#1. Stretch your strengths. 

We all have strengths, of course. But when we use them in the same way every day, we risk stifling our development. Think of skilled athletes – they don’t hone in on one specific muscle to build 24/7, but rather, they typically make strength-building a whole-body approach.  

Likewise, we might consider how we can use our strengths in as many ways possible. Think outside of the box here – literally. Instead of imagining strength building as a strictly inside-the-office activity, we can expand into a concept HBR calls strength solving:  basically, relearning how to apply our unique strengths to support others and problem-solve outside of our daily grind.  

Have leadership skills gained from years of on-the-job expertise? What if those skills were re-channeled into mentoring emerging women leaders, or offering professional advice to an up-and-coming non-profit? Get creative with this and see where the adventure leads… 

#2. Shake up how you see “learning.”  

What if I said that “unlearning” is just as important as “learning”? Say what?! Indeed: Unlearning is about releasing what is familiar and swapping it for something fresh and unknown. Discard that useless mantra “It’s always been done this way.” It’s nearly the exact opposite of the Growth Mindset we are touting here – especially when the very level of learning that got us to where we are can also keep us from soaring higher.  

For instance, early in our careers, we might have become accustomed to saying “yes” to everything. As we all know, that can’t last forever! So, we may need to unlearn agreeing to everything and develop new strategies for setting boundaries.  

Think about life during these last few years, when virtually all of us had to unlearn significant aspects of our lives to adapt to the new and unknown. It wasn’t always easy or pleasant, but it did show us the amazing resilience of the human experience.   

Today, consider identifying a few of your skills and common behaviors to determine if it might be worthwhile to “unlearn” them as you make way to meet a greater good.  

#3. The world is your classroom – show up and learn 😊 

Not a single one of us needs to wait for a formal learning opportunity to engage in. Our life, our daily work is our classroom.  

That team meeting scheduled for today? Use it as a chance to sharpen communication skills.  

Facing a dilemma figuring out how to meet a critical deadline? Leverage the moment to develop problem-solving skills, in real time.  

Have a tough decision to make? Consider it a confidence-building exercise.  

So often, we think of learning as a stand-alone practice. Yet, as HBR’s Liane Davey reminds us, we can learn and get work done at the same time. A win-win. 

#4 Practice makes progress. 

Please throw the words “failure” and “perfection” out the window and focus on “practice” and “progress” instead – however small it may appear at a time. Just like Mr. Miyagi had the Karate Kid do, the more we consistently practice, the more we progress.  

“An organization’s ability to learn, and to translate that learning into action rapidly, 
is the ultimate competitive advantage.” – Jack Welch 

A Growth Mindset – it’s for Organizations, too! 

And, on a larger scale, when many leaders within a company can heed the recommendations above, they are creating a learning culture. This is the only one which can help them navigate the roller-coaster ride which today’s world creates for any organization looking to thrive.  

And it all starts and ends with fostering a Growth Mindset. 

If you enjoyed these strategies, I invite you to Sign up here to access my Weekly Bolder Moves, always free with no strings attached. You’ll get innovative bursts of leadership inspiration, delivered fresh to your inbox once a week.  

Humble Leadership

Why Humble Leadership Is More Important Than Ever Before 

July 5, 2023ColleenLeadershipLeave a comment

Higher performing teams.  Stronger teamwork and collaboration.  Higher levels of flexibility that lead to more innovation and creative problem-solving.  

How can leaders achieve those benefits, even in today’s ever-evolving, volatile times?  

One secret ingredient to more impactful leadership: humility.  

While Merriam-Webster defines humility as: 

“freedom from pride or arrogance,”  

my preferred notion of this word is: 

“right-sizing ourselves.” 

In this light, we humans get the chance to evaluate where we are shining – and where we might want to improve. That’s it.  

It’s never about humiliation (as I falsely understood from the church of my childhood) for being less than perfect. Because no one – no matter what role, organizational level or salary they might have – ever is.  That’s at least one thing we all definitely have in common: having things to work on. 

If fact, have you noticed that the first three letters of “humility” and “human” are the same? My take is that it’s because humility brings to light both sides of what it means to be human: to be both great at certain things and not so much on others all at the same time. 

As the great philosopher Socrates said, 

“True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.” 

The important thing is remembering both are there: none of us is all good, and none of us is certainly all bad, either. 

While humility may not always be the first trait that comes to mind as we contemplate great leaders, it has long been known that the ability to be humble – what scientists call “intellectual humility” – has far-reaching gains in leadership and in everyday life.  

Millennials: A Driving Force in Humble Leadership? 

While scientists verify the importance of humility, we may have millennials to thank for putting the concept into action – so much so that leadership trends are changing (yippee!):  

Studies show that millennials often embrace a servant leadership style – one that emphasizes humility and collaboration. They tend to value the greater good of the organization (and beyond) versus a narrow vision that is self-driven.  

What’s more, asserts a recent article in Fast Company, “As millennials are more inclined to leave jobs when they’re not feeling fulfilled, many organizations are paying attention to the type of leadership these workers thrive under, as well.” 

Humility in Leaders: A Sought-After Trait 

Today, humble leaders are increasingly sought after – and justifiably so – as more and more organizations are recognizing just how crucial the trait is in today’s workplace.  

Why is that, exactly? The answers are obvious.  

Through role-modeling vulnerability and their acceptance of both their own limitations and strengths, humble leaders: 

  • Promote a culture of inclusion, where a sense of belonging and respect are highly valued.  
  • Cultivate collaboration, so employees are more likely to bring their “full selves” to work. 
  • Set the standard for positive traits like integrity, trust, accountability & respect for others. 

Deeply ingrained stereotypes often portray the “best” leaders as charismatic, overpowering, and yes – even obnoxious. But even in reading that line, many of us might be rolling our eyes – so fed up we are with such personalities who seem to be only out for themselves. 

Indeed, research and real-life leadership experience tell a vastly different story: some of the most impactful leaders represent a powerful synergy of humility and deep resolve. “They are modest, self-effacing, understated, and fanatically driven by results,” write the authors in a Fast Company article highlighting why we need more humble leaders.  

Moreover, humble leaders know how to inspire people to follow them because they attract through sincere care and an emphasis on collective excellence rather than through pushing their will on others. We all know how very different these two energies feel – and which one is a no-brainer to want more of. 

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less.”
– C.S. Lewis 

5 Everyday Tips to Be a Humble Leader 

So, how can we all bring more humility into our leadership? It isn’t hard to incorporate these easy strategies into the work day:  

  1. Be a great listener. Listen with intention. Too often, distractions tug at us, pulling us away from genuine conversation. Over time, something powerful manifests when we listen loudly: in addition to drawing people toward us more easily, we are also deriving more meaning from our exchanges. 
  2. Practice empathy. Impactful leaders know the power of empathy. Empathy allows us to connect more strongly with those in our organization, which can foster a sense of loyalty and encourage a team spirit, all while inspiring others to cultivate empathy too. 
  3. Welcome feedback of all kinds. Acknowledging our shortcomings is key. But we needn’t wait to fall short in order to glean helpful feedback. Whether it’s a few simple suggestions offered by a team member – or the expression of uncomfortable feelings that cuts to the core – consider how it can be used as an opportunity for learning and growth. But we needn’t wait to fall short in order to glean helpful feedback. Whether it’s a few simple suggestions offered by a team member – or the expression of uncomfortable feelings that cut us to the core – consider how it can be used as an opportunity for learning and growth.  And, especially, remember to also celebrate what you are already doing well!
  4. Show gratitude. The ripple effects of practicing gratitude don’t stop at the workplace: Studies have long proven that gratitude improves well-being and health. People who are grateful live longer, their bodies heal more quickly, and they experience less depression. Who doesn’t want that?!
  5. Lift others up. Humble leaders almost universally emphasize the “we” – not the “me.” They don’t need to bask in the spotlight all the time. Rather, they lead from a place of openness, trust, integrity and authenticity to encourage inclusivity on teams and in the organization as a whole. 

Now, go out there and inspire your team as you BOLDLY lead with humility today… 

Get innovative, simple ways to practice humility (and a host of other leadership tips too): Sign up here to access my Weekly Bolder Moves, always free with no strings attached. 

 

Iceberg Model for Leaders

Want to increase your impact as a leader? Go below the waterline.

October 17, 2018ColleenIndustry News, UncategorizedLeave a comment

As a leader, you’re well aware that challenges at work (and in life) are a given. From tight deadlines and budget demands to HR issues, it can feel like the minute one issue is solved, another is there to take its place.

Instead of emphasizing how to avoid disagreeable situations, what matters more is how you respond to life’s changes and challenges.

In leadership and in life, we all face challenging situations.

What about you? Can you recall a time recently when you faced a distressing situation? Maybe:

  • You took offense to something that a colleague said or did.
  • A disagreement at work escalated into an all-out conflict.
  • At a key meeting, you felt ignored when you shared your insights.

When we encounter a challenge, many of us respond with the familiar fight, flight, or freeze approach (or a combination of all three!). After the dust settles, we may find ourselves saying things like:

  • I can’t believe I said that. What was I thinking?!
  • I know I should have responded more effectively, but I just had to get out of there fast.
  • I wish I could have done something differently, but I just shut down.

At the height of the challenging circumstance, you’ll likely experience some unpleasant physical symptoms, such as:

  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat
  • Facial flushing; an influx of warmth
  • Muscle tightening and/or clenched jaw, fists
  • A knot or heaviness in your stomach
  • Breathing troubles – hyperventilation, rapid breathing

Impactful leaders know this simple secret.

Consider this question posed in a 2014 McKinsey&Company article, Lead at your best:

“Instead of that “fight, flight, or freeze” reaction, what if you could pause, reflect, and then manage—creatively and effectively—what you’re experiencing?”

The most influential leaders worldwide know that you can choose to respond more effectively. As you deepen your capacity to better manage your reactions, you’ll also inspire others to follow your lead.Iceberg Model for Leaders

You might be thinking, “That sounds great – but where do I start?” The answer is more straightforward than you think. It all starts with a simple metaphor about an iceberg…

We humans share an interesting similarity with icebergs. Moving along the open waters, at first glance it may seem that what you see is what you get – just a towering piece of ice broken off from a glacier.

The waterline only represents the tip of the iceberg (literally).

It’s when we take a moment to consider what’s going on below the waterline that we increase our ability to understand our behaviors.

In ourselves and in others, we tend to observe surface behaviors and actions. That approach isn’t particularly effective. Why? Because 90% of what’s really happening – what drives human behavior – is happening below the waterline.

With this analogy in mind, think about a time when you responded in a less than desirable way. Let’s explore what’s happening beneath the surface.

McKinsey authors Barsh and Lavoie present some thought-provoking questions that I’ve summarized below, but I strongly encourage you to read the entire article to deepen your perspective even more.

To be an impactful leader, go below the waterline.

1) Start at the “tip of the iceberg.” How are you behaving? What are you saying? Think about the impact your words and actions had in that moment…and beyond.Effective leadership

2) Dare to descend below the waterline. Be honest. What thoughts and feelings did you have, but kept to yourself? Were you influenced less than productive (but very common) desires to be liked, seek approval, or conform in some way?

3) Make a bold move by navigating deep waters. Ask how you can you bring your values into this situation. Meaning, what matters to you? What are your beliefs related to this event – and about yourself and others? Might these have shaped your response?

4) If you’re ready, dive even deeper. What are your underlying needs? What might be at risk for you in this situation? Can you define what your deepest desires are?

How often have you heard cliché statements such as “like attracts like” or “what you fear, you create”? Actually, there is truth to both statements.

Transform unproductive behaviors while deepening your leadership capacity

Say for instance that it’s important to you to be seen as calm and competent, and you often worry about “coming undone”. At work, a major project deadline is missed. Before you know it, you’ve just unleashed some harsh comments to a team lead in the heat of the moment. Your greatest fear just happened.

Enter: the iceberg metaphor. Using this technique can help you transform unproductive behaviors into ones that are better aligned with your core values and that produce more desirable outcomes. There’s a bonus, too: you may find that you experience a deeper understanding of yourself – and of those you lead.

Over the next coming months, I’ll be taking a close look at this topic, sharing tips and tools that will inspire you to think differently. So, stay tuned!

Take action today: try this quick leadership tip.

I’d like to leave you with a simple tool that you can start using right away: Before your next meeting officially begins, check in with everyone present. Have each person share a tidbit about what might be happening “below the waterline,” starting with yourself.

Doing this encourages more open, honest conversation while deepening everyone’s understanding of how their colleagues may be feeling. As you make this a habit, you’ll notice that meetings become more productive. Now go on, try it today!

If you’d like a quick burst of leadership inspiration delivered fresh to your inbox each week, be sure to sign up for my weekly Bolder Moves Messages here.

Inspirational Leadership

How One Little Word Sets Inspirational Leaders Apart from the Rest

August 15, 2018ColleenIndustry News, UncategorizedLeave a comment

“Whether they’re individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we

have to, but because we want to.”

-Simon Sinek

Inspirational leaders often share a common attribute. They know the seed of success can grow from one small but powerful word: Why?

People inspired by their leaders will follow not because they’re being told to by someone in authority—but because they want to out of sense of shared values and beliefs.

Before you can motivate others, you must know your own “why” behind your values, your beliefs. It’s not about “how” you do what you do – but “why.”  More precisely, as long as we know our “why”, the “how” and the “what” will take care of themselves.

As you read through the following post, explore the “why” behind what really inspires you. As you do, you’ll find that you’re more easily able to inspire and empower those you lead to greater levels of success and fulfillment.

Inspirational Leadership

Understanding Your “Why” So Others Can, Too

In a well-known Ted Talk on how great leaders inspire action, Simon Sinek, author of “Start With Why” and “Leaders Eat Last,” brings home the value of knowing the why for your actions. He believes that people aren’t inspired by what you do as a leader as much as why you do it, and that what you do is proof of what you believe.

Sinek believes that the most inspiring leaders and organizations in the world share a powerful commonality that is in opposition to everyone else. He says they all think, act, and communicate in the same way.

Why Are Some Leaders Inspirational – and Others Aren’t?

If you’ve ever wondered why some leaders have the ability to inspire while others do not, Sinek says the explanation is quite simple: few people or organizations know the “why” behind what they do. Sounds surprising, right? But it’s very true.

Being driven by a cause, a purpose, or a belief will bring the right people to you who share those same values, who believe what you believe. And, says Sinek, those folks will work for you “with blood, sweat, and tears.”

Stop and let that soak in for a moment. By getting clear on your purpose, your why, people will follow you with their full selves.

So, How Clear Are You on the “Why” Behind What You Do?

Sinek masterfully deepens this concept: “But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations — regardless of their size, regardless of their industry — all think, act and communicate from the inside out.”

Contrast this with the 70% or so of us humans running around on the earth operating from the outside-in. We can try (and “try” is the operative word here!) to get our needs of security, belonging and self-esteem met through others and, consequently, frequently feel disappointed and frustrated because we will never succeed getting from others what only lies within us. Living from the outside-in is therefore a set-up to a dissatisfying life and way of operating in the world. Living from the inside-out is another story.

To live – and lead – from the inside-out, start by finding your why – your cause – that drives you forward. Getting very clear on what your values are- and ensuring they are indeed your values and not someone else’s – s one sure-fire way to begin understanding your “why.” Another is to listen to that quiet, steady voice inside you, the one that has never steered you wrong.

4 Easy Questions to Help You Discover Your Why

This Forbes article has four simple questions you can ask yourself to better understand your “why.” Here they are:

1) What inspires you – what makes you come alive?

2) What would you say are your natural talents and strengths?

3) In what areas do you add the most value?

4) What matters most to you? How will you measure your life?

As you get clearer on what you stand for, watch as your team begins filling up with people who believe in the similar things you do. Watch as, together with you, these people put their all into manifesting the same, expanded results your vision had in mind.

Transformational Leaders Inspire Top-Notch Performance

Knowing that all-important “why” can guide you as a leader to use your own special combination of skills and strengths to excite and inspire both individuals and teams toward success.

Transformational leaders create the space for their teams to think bigger, to come up with creative ways to navigate challenges and to take on bold new projects. Transformational leaders inspire excellence from people through empowerment – rather than from “command and control” tactics.

Think about it – which of these motivates you more: Being “told” what to do – or feeling empowered…inspired…to move to greater levels of success? I’m willing to bet you’d rather listen – maybe even relate to – someone’s “why” than listen to a leader drone on about mission statements and goals that have little meaning for you.

Understanding Your “Why” Isn’t Just About You…

Having a clear understanding of your “why” has an important trickle-down effect. As others relate to and are inspired by you, others in your organization will also be motivated to reach their full potential as well. A win-win!

Honestly contemplating your “why” might open up new pathways you weren’t even aware of previously. Consider journaling for a week or two and scribbling down “why” you do what you do every day. I’d love to hear your results!

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