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Igniting Leaders, Inspiring Revolutions

leadership

How to use your influence for good

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Most change-makers I know are keen to have a positive impact on the world in some way. Traditionally you may have had to be a Prime Minister or wealthy CEO to influence and impact the world.

But the world has changed! You don’t need to be in a position of authority to have the power to positively influence those around you. Tools such as the internet have levelled the playing field and allowed everyday people to have a voice, gather people together for a cause and create momentum. Think about Malala Yousafzai or the #Metoo movement.

What types of power increase your influence?

Social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven discovered that there are six types of influential power and, of those, there are two that everyone has the ability to harness regardless of their standing.

1. Expert Power – Having advanced levels of knowledge about a subject gives you power because people trust you as an expert in your subject area and look to you for guidance. Develop this power by taking courses, reading, attending conferences, finding mentors who challenge your assumptions and constantly stretch your knowledge and understanding.

2. Referent Power – This is the type of power that people wield when they are well-liked and respected. You have this power if you are well-known in your community. Earn this power by always leading with integrity, doing good work, building strong relationships and take bold actions.

As change-makers, we can work on developing these powers to influence our workplaces or communities. Challenge yourself to lead not through position, fear or demands but through something which is far stronger than these – shared values!

Shared values are guiding beliefs that groups and organisations rally around to inspire change and keep people committed to their causes. These are beliefs that excite, guide people’s actions and help define identities. Most importantly, they’re the emotionally-charged fuel that enables leaders to influence their followers.

Tap into Emotions and Get Personal

According to Harvard Business researcher Dr. John P. Kotter, most people fail to be influential because they try to influence others using logic, convinced that facts will make others listen to them.

However, research shows emotional appeals can be more persuasive. This is because the same part of your brain that you use to make decisions also controls emotions, causing the two to be intertwined. If you want to influence people to take action or adopt new ideas, you can’t just tell them why they should do it; you have to make them feel it. So, basically, how you make people feel will impact your ability to influence and make change.

How do you make people feel?

Consider these avenues of power you can exert everyday

1. Speak up – consider how you communicate with those who you know, including your family, friends and colleagues. Can you raise awareness about an issue? Can you support an event through sharing it? Consider the ways you can share more – perhaps on social media, in your workplace or just with your friends.

2. Share your expertise – can you use your knowledge, networks and expertise to support a cause by sitting on a community organisation board?

3. Consumer power – every time you purchase something, you are supporting it. Choose carefully and support business and brands that contribute something to the world.

4. Philanthropy – philanthropy is just a fancy word for carefully considering how to give funds (or time) to have a positive impact in the world. You don’t have to be rich and famous to make a donation. Just start with a small goal of thoughtfully giving 1% of your earnings this year.

5. Resources – what resources do you have at your disposal? Can you influence your workplace to support a charity, offer a space to an event or meeting or use your profile to help build momentum for a cause?

I really do believe that people just don’t know how influential they can be. We have everything at our fingertips – access to knowledge, access to platforms to have a say, access to resources.

Don’t Forget!

In a Harvard Business Review article, Ben Laker and Charmi Patel outline a number of ways that you can increase your influence with one on one.

1. Build rapport – building rapport with the people that you want to influence will strengthen the interpersonal connections and trust that you have with them. Get to know people, dig a little deeper then you usually would – find out their purpose and passions in life, consider how you can support them.

2. Be an active listener – influencing isn’t just about telling people what to do or buy, it’s about understanding what will make them want to do these things. To learn this, you must first listen to them, understand what their motivations are and be empathetic about what they tell you. Practice asking good questions and listening.

3. Be focused and set an example – you can’t influence someone to change if you have not made that change yourself. Often I’ve found this is the best way to influence. Great influence comes from sharing your own experiences, and showing someone that the change you made could be great for them too.

The real question is: Are you ready to step up?

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The world needs more purpose-driven people. But where do you start? This inspiring guide will give you powerful insights to find and refine your own purpose in life.
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Creating Inclusive Leaders

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In an ever-changing, diverse world, organisations require leaders to look beyond traditional ideas and frameworks to shape leadership expectations. Leaders, without consideration and reflection, can often gravitate toward people that reflect their own personality, values and opinions. With diversity becoming a developing trend, organisations are now looking for teams with people from varied backgrounds, personal experiences, personalities, and ideas. With diverse teams comes the need for diverse and inclusive leaders.

But what does it mean to be inclusive? And how do you foster inclusivity in an organisation? Inclusion requires people to feel respected by and connected to the organisation and their colleagues, feel able to contribute to wider discussions, and feel able to progress within the organisation. Diversity refers to the mixture of different people and identities coming together in an organisation. 

A report published in 2016 by Deloitte outlines “The six signature traits of inclusive leadership: Thriving in a diverse new world”. From 2011, they recorded and interviewed over a thousand global leaders, consulted experts and researchers in the field of inclusive leadership, and interviewed over 1500 employees about inclusion in the workplace around the world.

So what are the key traits you need to be an inclusive leader? 

They are:

  1. Commitment
  2. Courage
  3. Cognisance of bias
  4. Curiosity
  5. Cultural Intelligence
  6. Collaboration

Let’s explore those further.

1. Commitment – Are you dedicated to diversity?

Being a more inclusive leader requires you to be committed to diversity. This is not only in the interest of the organisation you work for, but because it aligns with your personal values. Fostering diversity doesn’t happen overnight; it requires a lot of time, energy, and hard work.

The combination of your own personal experiences with diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the rational argument from a business perspective shows your commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in your workplace.

So how can you show your commitment to diversity as a leader?

  • Put yourself in situations where you are working with people with different backgrounds to you.
  • Take the time to read and listen to diverse information sources
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  • Highlight that fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace is a top business and personal priority and encourage everyone to join the learning journey
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  • Talk about what inclusivity and diversity look like within your organisation and invite different opinions.
  • Ensure your workplace practices and processes are improving diversity and inclusivity in your workplace.

2. Courage – Are you ready to speak up?

Being an inclusive leader requires you to challenge your organisation, its practices, others, and yourself. It takes bravery to challenge entrenched organisational practices and frameworks, but doing so will mean your organisation has the chance to become more diverse. Being able to challenge others and recognise your own limitations also takes courage. This humility will help you listen to different perspectives and overcome your own limitations.

Have you got the courage to be an inclusive leader?

How can you be a more courageous leader?

  • Reflect often on the biases and weaknesses that arise in your own behaviour and be willing to call them out.
  • Seek the advice and help of others to rise above your limitations, and acknowledge when you have made an error.
  • Encourage your team to respectfully identify when biases may be occurring in the team. Emphasize this is a learning journey for all. Make it safe for everyone to make mistakes and learn.
  • Question and dispute normative organisational values, processes and frameworks that encourage non-inclusive practices.

3. Cognisance of Bias – Are you aware of your blind spots?

Being an inclusive leader requires you to be aware of your organisation’s biases and of your own personal biases. These biases can range from unconscious bias, favouritism, confirmation bias, group-think, and attribution error. In order to improve the diversity within your organisation, you must develop your self-awareness and be prepared to act.

So how do you overcome personal and organisational biases?

  • Identify when you are most prone to your personal biases and organisational biases.
  • Take note of when organisational biases take over your better judgement during stressful situations or processes, e.g. recruitment processes.
  • Ask for feedback or more opinions when making or reflecting on key decisions.
  • Adapt processes to ensure that personal biases do not influence decisions about others.
  • Ensure transparency in decision-making processes, such as recruitment practices, and provide clear explanations to those affected by these decisions.

4. Curiosity – Do you have a thirst for knowledge?

To be an inclusive leader, you must constantly desire to learn and keep improving! To improve the organisation’s diversity, you must be open to different perspectives and to areas of knowledge that you are not personally familiar with. Asking questions and attentively listening to colleagues can help you understand multiple perspectives on issues that your organisation must deal with. This also means you have to be prepared for perspectives that can be vague and indefinite.

So how can you be more curious?

  • Do not be quick to judge those who hold different perspectives to you. Listen to what they have to say, and dig into understanding their perspectives.
  • Express your desire and openness to learning about new perspectives and ideas.
  • Ask for multiple perspectives from diverse people about choices or decisions to be made.
  • Anticipate change and actively encourage different ways of thinking. This can lead to opportunities to connect with diverse others.

5. Cultural Intelligence – how do you communicate with people from other cultures?

What exactly is cultural intelligence? This particular quality of an inclusive leader requires you to recognise how your personal experiences affect your perspective of the world. You must learn to look past stereotypes and be confident in your cross-cultural communications.

Cultural intelligence (CQ) is divided into four categories; motivational CQ, cognitive CQ, metacognitive CQ, and behavioural CQ.

  • Motivational CQ concerns how interested and enthusiastic a leader is in learning and developing cross-cultural communications.
  • Cognitive CQ concerns how much a leader knows about traditional norms, values, and stereotypes surrounding another culture.
  • Metacognitive CQ concerns how consciously aware of culture a leader is during communications with people from another culture.
  • Behavioural CQ concerns how appropriately a leader uses verbal and non-verbal cues when communicating with another culture.

So how can you become more culturally-intelligent?

  • Take the time to learn about other cultures, and create opportunities to do so.
  • Be prepared when leading a culturally-diverse team. This will include learning about individual members and their backgrounds, and changing how you approach certain situations or decisions.
  • Be open in your body language and succinct in your word use when communicating with
    people from different cultures and backgrounds.
  • Recognise your personal flaws and biases towards cultural stereotypes and differences.
  • Actively reflect and question your predisposed ideas about different cultures.

6. Collaborative – how well do you work with others?

Contemporary organisations require you to harness your team’s total intelligence to get to work, rather than individually strive to complete projects. In a team, you are more likely to meet and work with people who have completely different backgrounds, and maybe even opposing ideas to your own. The challenge here is to listen, be solutions-focused, and encourage independent, self-directed thought and debate.

How can you be a more collaborative leader?

  • Create an environment where team members will take responsibility and hold themselves accountable for mistakes they have made.
  • Ensure no one is left out of conversations or group discussions and activities. You should cultivate a safe and respectful environment so that your team members feel safe to speak up and discuss ideas.
  • Ask for feedback and questions about project progress from other team members.

In summary

Being inclusive is a non-negotiable. This gives us all a great opportunity to be learners and take our leadership skills to the next level.

Check out this link for the full Deloitte report. For further information about being a more
inclusive leader, check out this link to the SPACE2 Model developed by Include-Empower.
Where do you think you need to improve as a leader? Can you see yourself developing and
implementing the ideas we have discussed? I would love your feedback!

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Use Gratitude to Boost Your Resilience and Leadership

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It’s been shown the act of gratitude can have a significant positive effect on our resilience and also our leadership (not to mention our health, happiness and wellbeing). It can also be trained and increased with practice!

How do we use gratitude practices to increase our sense of wellbeing, resilience and leadership?

1. Make it a ritual to look for the small wins, the tiny micro moments of joy.

Often we will do the opposite and maybe gripe at the end of the day to our partners about the times people annoyed you. Instead, make it a habit to point out to yourself and your loved ones, when things worked out.

LEADERSHIP HABIT: Start or finish a meeting with words of gratitude that you and the team can share with each other.

2. Look for micro moments of connection and make it count.

Increase your wellbeing by making it a game to get a smile out of the people you meet in everyday life. It might be doing something kind for a family member, listening to a colleague, opening the door for a stranger. Look for acts of kindness that you can practice every day and it will increase your own happiness.

LEADERSHIP HABIT: Focus on connecting with teammates. Perhaps it’s remembering a birthday, an unexpected public thank you or a saying good morning when you enter the office.

3. Create a family ritual of gratitude – get your family involved.

Perhaps it’s sharing something that you’re grateful for at the dinner table or before bed time or if you have kids in the car on the way home from school. If it’s a ritual, it will encourage people to think about and look for something to be grateful for during the day.

LEADERSHIP HABIT: Leadership starts at home. Character, integrity and authenticity is not only to be practiced in the office but also at home. In fact, it’s when we are not ‘on’ that it can be the most challenging to practice this but good to reinforce for ourselves.

4. Write it down.

This time of the year, you can use the season to choose one, three or five people who you want to thank this year and let them know what you are grateful for. Of course, you can practice this throughout the year with a thank you card. Or if you really want to level up on this, consider writing a letter to someone in your life that has had a profound effect on your career, family or life.

LEADERSHIP HABIT: Set some time aside weekly or monthly to practice writing words of gratitude to those around you – bonus points for handwritten notes!

5. Take a moment to appreciate the miraculousness of life.

The Greeks would say ‘memento mori’ which means ‘remember that you will die’ and so appreciate the preciousness of life, don’t sweat the small stuff and make every day that you are alive count!

LEADERSHIP HABIT: Let’s bring humanity back into the workplace. Share the personal triumphs within your team as well as the professional ones.

Share your favourite gratitude practices on our Alyceum Facebook page.

Ready to step into your full leadership potential?

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Ready for your next leadership challenge? Join a Community Board!

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Are you searching for the next leadership challenge for you?  You are kicking goals at work, you’re happy with your friends and family, but you’re looking for the next opportunity to give back, broaden your skills and connect with like-minded people.

It sounds like the challenge of a community board role could be for you!

 

next-leadership-challenge-join-community-boardMeet Vanessa

Vanessa is a successful leadership coach and mentor, having worked in various leadership positions with the Federal Government throughout her career.

She had been involved with her local school council while her children were growing up and now they had grown up and needed less of her time. She decided to start her own leadership coaching business and had got it to a point where it was successful.  She was then keen to discover what it really meant to be on a board.

She had been asked in the past to step onto a community board but, in the back of her mind, she really didn’t know what this meant or involved.

This was when she started asking for recommendations of what might help her fill her knowledge gap and she was recommended the Board Ignition course.

 

 

Check out my full interview with Vanessa here..

Or read our conversation here.

 

Well thank you so much for joining me Vanessa. It’s really a pleasure to have you. You did the Board Ignition online course. But before we get into that can you tell me just a little bit about yourself?

Sure. Thanks for having me first of all. So, I work as a leadership coach and mentor, working in the space of cultural change in new businesses and organisations and I think I am going into my fourth year now. Prior to that my background is in various leadership positions with the Federal government for a number of years, like nearly 15 years and then I decided to create change and start my own business and I haven’t really looked back, everything is just wonderful. So that’s where I focus my time and energy mainly now.

Wonderful. So, tell me why did you decide to do the Board Ignition course? What appealed to you about it?

So, I had been wondering for a little while about what the next level was. So, having been involved in the primary school, the school council and so on, kids went on high school, I didn’t want to do that. I had all the energy that it takes to get the rocket ship off the ground and starting the business. It was beginning to be successful so I could start to look at other options. And I guess I just sort of put my feelings down into my friendship group around people I knew who were on board and a very good friend of mine, Liz McCoy over in WA recommended you and talked about the program that you ran. And I think I did a little bit of research in the background not just part because it is something I wanted to do in the future and when I felt ready to do that. So, it was a matter of being able to identify well if I do this what does it actually mean? So, I had no understanding whatsoever of what that meant and I felt for me, I wanted to commit to something knowing like fully what it was I was going to be committing to rather than just chatting to people and saying oh what do you think about your experience. So, I really appealed to me to sit through a process with someone who knew what happens and how to get involved. It just the program really, it had everything I wanted.

Was there anything that you were hesitant about?

I think by the time I committed and signed up and that was probably through one of your Facebook challenges or something I was already committed, just definitely on board. But I guess there was probably a few months in between making the decision and then signing up. So, it was just something that I would suggest it was one, not knowing how much my time commitment would be and then also if I do this then I actually have to put my money where my mouth is and do something about it and again, I didn’t know what the commitment was. So, probably that would be the only hesitation but once I was in, I was in, boots and all.

Yeah and you definitely showed you know the commitment that was required for that course and really got the most out of it which is you know really exciting for me to see. So, let’s talk about the course itself. What surprised you the most about the course?

What surprised me was just how thorough it was and how well set out it was. So, I loved the way that it was introduced. So, every module stacked on top of the module before and it felt like a really good way of building that base and that foundation. So, starting with what even are Not For Profits. because all the things that I had no idea about I got a clear distinction around that. So, I was really impressed with the way it was structured and the content and I liked the challenges as well but I found them challenging to complete given where I live and the opportunity to get out and do the things…..But it certainly, yeah it certainly was the bouncing ball that I was looking for around do this, then that, then that and so by the time you’re ready you know it was just diving straight back into the module on how to prepare your board résumé. So, that was really cool. So, probably just how thorough it was and how well set out it was; it was just what I was hoping for and it was definitely above and beyond my expectations.

Wonderful. And so, you mentioned a couple of the elements of the course but was there something that was really the most valuable part of the course for you? What was that to you?

Well I’ve done my research around what boards were near me and what board I wanted to join and so when the opportunity came up to join a board the most valuable resource was to go back into the module that talked about doing due diligence and you know getting your application together, understanding what to expect. But particularly the due diligence because that meant that I knew what questions to ask, what to research, what I already knew and just stepping through all of the resources that you had in there. And I actually invested in the additional resources that you recommended as well the book, I bought Eyes Wide Open. So, I used the two of those together in order to prepare and I did go and interview the outgoing chair and another board member and the managing director and you know and I was really fully prepared for that. Now I’m really impressed with that which was great because I don’t think everybody going through that process are a little bit taken back. So, I felt very prepared.

I think we get to that stage where we’re trying to get our first appointment and it’s exciting and that board wants us and we’re like, oh wow, they want us but then we’ve got to actually sit back and do that due diligence and go through that process and make sure it’s a good fit for you and for them.

Before I knew the course, it was probably only twelve months ago I was asked to apply for a board position and I remember being really hesitant because I didn’t know what was involved and now looking back I’m really glad I didn’t apply. You know it’s very flattering to be asked to apply but what I know now and where that organisation sat with me and you know what I’m interested in I don’t think it would have been a great fit. So, and I believe as I’ve learned through the process that board commitment isn’t just like, if you don’t like it, well, leave. You’re signing up for….. well, I’ve just signed up for three years so it’s a big commitment. So, to go in, understanding what that means I think is really valuable.

So, what did you enjoy most about the experience of the Board Ignition of course?

Well I think I’m really fortunate in that I joined the live round and that gave me the opportunity to be involved in the webinars that you were holding. We did four over the course of the program. And what I really liked about that was not only being able to come with questions but it also helped me to prioritise the course. So, it meant that knowing that the webinar was coming up I really wanted to sort of like set myself a challenge of you know have this module done by then and this module because I wanted to see it through to completion. And I remember you saying to me you know the amount of time that you spend on the actual course is pretty much equivalent to what the expectation is that you would be spending in reading all the documents and attending the meetings then that really sat well with me because I was thinking that if I can’t find a time for this I’ve got to ask one simple question can I find the time to be committed to a board role?

So, I think being able to bounce off from some of the other people that were doing it was great as well and I really enjoyed that interaction. So, that was probably one of the highlights of it. And now to know that I’ve got access to it ongoing is amazing because I do just tap back into it now that I’ve actually joined a board so I know I can go back into the bits around what’s the role we all play on the board and how can you balance that. So, I think that the value is not just been doing it but it’s about utilizing as a resource and I guess would have the fortune of being able to go through a live round which is fabulous.

Yes, so the resources are there for you ongoingly, you can tap back into it and probably as you get more experience on the board you can actually go back to those materials and look at it with different eyes as well and gain different learnings about what culture and decision making and leadership as well which is great.

And also knowing that if I was just sitting on Google and Googling I would be overwhelmed by what’s available. So, the way that you were able to break it down into the modules and you know a good website to go to the read more about this that means that I can tap into that when it becomes appropriate. So, I do like that it’s ongoing and it’s not just how to get on a board and then you’re done, it actually you know sees you through that transition phase as well which is really important for someone able to be a contributing member adding value.

So, in what ways did the Board Ignition program really help you with your goal of becoming a board director? If you could break it down.

Sure. So, I think the way that the modules were laid out they asked you to consider various board challenges or focuses for each of the module. And probably the highest value in that for me was to be able to go out and have a discussion with my network. So, I talked to a lot of people I knew about the fact that I was doing an online program, that I was interested in joining a board next year and you know could they keep their ears open for AGMs and it is so amazing that once you put it out there my network of people who read it were already on board, they had had board experience; it felt like everything second person was oh yeah I should join a board or you know I’ve been on such and such, oh I didn’t know you were the chair of that board. So, prior to doing the online program I really didn’t have those discussions with people. So, being able to put it out into my networks, there were people who approached me with board roles, this particular board role became available and people kept talking about wanting to do this and I had another person in my network who said I get these monthly magazines once I have read them I’m happy to share them with you. So, putting the word out was definitely part of the process that helped me and that was something that was you know made very clear throughout the course to be able to utilise your network and certainly in our webinars that was another suggestion, I think you made that suggestion to me directly because I’m in a regional area, there is less opportunities in the cities. So, that was highly valuable in relation to going well I feel prepared now to say I’m ready to join because I had done the groundwork to get there.

Fantastic. And you’ve alluded to it already the results what you end up with after doing the course.

Yes, during the course I put an application or an expression of interest of being on an advisory committee and that was accepted and that was great because this advisory committee was for a leadership program and that’s just my love and ambitions around leadership. And I was able then to experience that and they reported back to a board not directly but through the CEO. So, that was the first phase and then a few months later just after I finished the program as I said I was tapped on the shoulder to the place that I really wanted to become a board member at when I had a look around all of them. And everything that led up to being able to do the due diligence, having my application, having the interview, they offered me a position. So, I’ve accepted that quite happily and I’m now a board director for the next three years. So, that’s pretty exciting.

Yay!

Yeah, really great outcome. And I must say you know because I think because I did….. one doing due diligence and having the conversations helped me understand what I was going to into because they are board in transition phase and potentially could disband and then recreate in the next 12 months. So, I didn’t have any surprises with that and I’ve got to talk to a few different people. And I asked the question you talked about it in the calls about culture, so how would you describe the board culture? And every person I ask that question to was taken aback. That was like, oh what a great question and so that gave me some more insight. And then when I went to the interview, the panel, the chair of the panel just said at the end of it, we are really impressed with your due diligence that really shown through. I had said during the interview when they asked about strengths and weaknesses and I talked about I actually haven’t been on a board before so I’m very new to this and I’m one of the interviewers said at the end don’t underestimate it, like that is not a problem, don’t, truly is not an issue which that I felt was one of the things that detracted for me being able to be on a board. So, that was really encouraging because everyone can make a first step somewhere and I think because I was able to really talk about my value proposition and what I could bring. I could be really honest about what I don’t have. I think they asked me one question and I’m just like I don’t know. I’ve got lots of nothing, I’ve got this but that’s a gap. And I think that honesty was appreciated because it was so well rounded with the knowledge that I had going into the interview and it was just such a great discussion and I think that yeah it was very much at show that I knew what I was coming into and they were impressed by that. So that’s really good feedback.

That’s just so wonderful to hear. I’m so excited for you and I’m so glad that the different elements of the courses helped you with that confidence and understanding of exactly what you’re getting yourself into when you take on that board position and that you have this you know different level of leadership where you are honest and vulnerable about what you have and what you don’t have and can share honestly with the board so nobody is wearing any masks, there’s no surprises and that you’re going to do it with you know the best foot forward for you and for them which is just exactly what we go through in the Board Ignition course and it’s really good to see you take the most of every opportunity, doing the readings, going to the further resources, watching the video interviews, doing the challenges and then showing you that yeah absolutely it is possible for any person to be a board director and to find that right alignment between you and the board that you want to give back to. And you have just been an outstanding example of how that can be achieved through that course.  

It’s been really cool. And then even you know I think one of the first challenges was that going to an AGM, all the AGMs in our area are sort of around the same time, which i s October/November. Even though I had applied and think had been accepted onto the board that I joined I still went to a couple of AGMs for the hospital and the community centre just to get a real sense of what they are at that level; I think one of them is a paid board and the other one is close to changing to pay; it still was something that was really eye opening and it really adding value and I thought it was great. And I just don’t think I’m going to go to that myself. So, I think you know the ability to go rather than just go oh, yeah, well I’ve got a board role so why worry about it? It was that learning still there because I see the value of it and that’s really because you explained why that matters so much and yeah that would be an awesome experience too.

And I think the best directors are lifelong learners, are people who want to go out you know see what other organisations are doing, bring back the best for their organisation, have that you know external understanding of what’s happening in the community and in business and in government and then being able to bring that back to the board in a useful way. So, it’s really great thing you’ve gone off and you know continued to access some of these challenges and continue that learning that you can bring back to the board that you’ve been accepted on to and then obviously any future board that you get on to too.

Yeah. And I think this to me is such a great resource as I said earlier that one of the valuable parts of it is being able to tap back into it and that was awesome; at the time I needed the resources the most, it was just a matter of getting back in and they were right there at my fingertips. So, I look forward to continuing that as my board journey continues to come back and play around in different sizes to sort of help my understanding but also challenged by thinking. So, thank you for that.

No worries at all. Would you recommend this course to others? What would you say to somebody who is contemplating either the course or getting onto a board?

I highly recommended it and I would suggest that probably the advice you gave me about spending the time and is it an appropriate time to do it, is this for me or not? And then you know really embrace the experience and I truly believe that it has fast tracked me onto a board, one of my friends has applied for 5 board positions before she was accepted onto one and you know I kind of wondered how that experience could have been different had she gone on a program like this. So, I highly recommend for anyone at any stage in their career that is looking to be able to join a board; if you really want to have that eyes wide open approach to what it is all about, what you’re responsible for, the best way to engage and how to get there it really is a very thorough and well laid out program. So, it’s highly recommended.

Wonderful. Thank you so much Vanessa for sharing your story, your examples. And now you know your role modelling over everything that we talked about so I really appreciate your time.

Thanks Alicia, I really appreciate it.

About Board Ignition

Board Ignition is a dynamic online course that helps you fast track your board journey to get your first board position and serve a community organisation. There are 8 modules to the course which you can complete at your own pace (while you also receive an 8 week email series to help you discover the modules). Check out the course here.

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15 WAYS TO FIND AN NFP BOARD POSITION
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Self reflection and journaling for leadership

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I’m often asked what leaders can do to improve their leadership, confidence and teamwork. And for me, I would always recommend a habit that many leaders love to hate! Not many of us, in the fast paced, increasingly noisy, anxiety driven world that we live in can handle sitting quietly for 5, 10 or 15 minutes a day with the aim of thinking about our own thoughts and behaviours. Self reflection is something we all have access to. You can get started with the simplest notepad and pen.

The results of ongoing self reflection are impressive. It’s definitely worth taking note! But do you have the discipline?

Why self reflection is important for leaders

Self reflection gives you time and space to consider your actions and beliefs for the benefit of learning. It’s a way of documenting what’s happening around you and using this understanding to create meaning for the purpose of learning.

It’s a stop. A pause. A breath. Amongst all the busyness, action and noise. To observe yourself and others, to create understanding, plans and meaning for the future.

It’s an opportunity to stand back for a moment and observe yourself. It’s a brilliant quality in successful leaders – their ability to observe their own behaviour – almost as if it was another person. Most people will do it after a meeting, event or interaction. Super-practiced leaders learn to self-observe in each moment.

But it’s simple enough to begin after a meeting, event or an interaction. You can consider questions such as:

“How would other people perceive my actions?”

“How did I participate in that team meeting?”

“How did I show up?”

“How did I react and answer questions from others?”

“Was I open to the ideas and discussion or did I shut the conversation down?”

Self reflection is a skill like anything else, so it does take practice.

Ask good questions

Many people are almost scared to sit in front of a blank piece of paper and wonder what to write about. It is a common barrier to journalling.

A simple way to start is to brainstorm questions to ask yourself. They could to be the same questions that you use every day, week or month to consider. You can also include exploratory questions to get you thinking and being creative.

A great daily question, which was highlighted in the book, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Dr Martin Seligman, can be as simple as:

“What went well today and why?”

Other daily questions could be:

“Did I accomplish what I set out to do today?”

“What did I learn from today?”

“What are my priorities?”

Ask questions to inspire possibilities, creativity and insights

In Think Like Da Vinci by Michael Gelb, he shares that Leonardo Da Vinci used notebooks to record everything! From ideas, impressions, observations and thoughts from scholars he admired, jokes and fables, philosophical musings and prophecies, pens for inventions, painting and doodling to personal finance records and letters. Seven thousand pages of Da Vinci’s notebooks existed. Michael Gelb shares that we can develop our sense of curiosity through journalling.

He suggests the 100 questions exercise. Create a list of 100 questions that you could muse on. It could be about anything. How to have more fun? How to love more? What is the meaning of life?

Create this list in one sitting and quickly. When you’ve finished your list, he suggests you review your list for themes and then find the top ten questions that intrigue you and pique the most interest. Use this as the basis of your journalling practice.

Here are the top ten questions Michael Gelb suggests as a catalyst for personal growth and fulfilment:

“When am I most naturally myself? What people, places, and activities allow me to feel most fully myself?”

“What’s one thing I could stop doing, start doing, or do differently, starting today that would most improve the quality of my life?”

“What is my greatest talent?”

“How can I get paid for doing what I love?”

“Who are my most inspiring role models?”

“How can I best be of service to others?”

“What is my heart’s deepest desire?”

“How am I perceived by: my closed friend, my worst enemy, my boss, my children, my co-workers, etc?”

“What are the blessings of my life?”

“What legacy would l like to leave?”

Ready to step into your full leadership potential?

GET THE FREE GUIDE:
15 WAYS TO FIND AN NFP BOARD POSITION
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Many strategies for journalling

Asking questions of yourself is an easy way to start but there are other options too. Many highly productive people have also used a technique from Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way called Morning Pages.

Morning Pages is simply three pages of long hand, stream-of-consciousness writing first thing in the morning. The idea is to pick up the pen and not to put it down until you have done your three pages. You write whatever is in your head, even if you start off with writing…I don’t know what to write!

The purpose of morning pages, Julia says, is “once we get those muddy, maddening, confusing thoughts [nebulous worries, jitters, and preoccupations] on the page, we face our day with clearer eyes.”

Writing online vs writing by hand

A common question when it comes to journalling is:

“Should I hand write it or can I just type away on the computer?”

Some people might find it easier to journal on the computer – Google docs, WordPress, Medium or even Microsoft Word give you easy ways to type away your thoughts and reflections. Not to mention an easy way to store your thoughts and reflections!

But there are potential downsides of digital journalling. It may just too easy to click over to Facebook or your latest email that pops into your inbox. We spend so much time in front of screens these days that any opportunity to take habits offline might be worth considering.

There are also many benefits to writing by hand. Loads of studies have shown the diverse benefits of handwriting in relation to memory, creativity, learning and expressing ideas.

There is something satisfying about opening up and using a nicely bound journal. It’s personal, it’s therapeutic, and it may make you feel like a writer in the 1920’s in Paris!

I’m going to let you decide which one works for you. I want you to think about which one you will actually do. The journalling practice (whether it’s on a computer or not) is the one you do!! Will typing make it easier for you? Or are you keen to explore the benefits of handwriting?

Making it a Habit

So how do you make it a habit that you stick to? It’s all about the routines you use! Here are a couple of ideas for you to mix and match to find what might work best for you.

Last 10 minutes of your work day
Before you go to bed
Every Sunday night
A day once a quarter

When can you schedule it in? Is there another habit you can pair up with journalling? Self awareness is such a foundational skill for any leader. Self reflection and journalling will help your self awareness soar!

Now over to you: Let me know how you go with it in my Facebook group, Alyceum Leaders – I’d love to hear from you!

Why we need Greater Good Leadership more than ever?

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This revolution will ask all of us to shift our ways of thinking to connection rather than consumerism, to purpose rather than profits, to sustainability rather than selfishness. We must awaken to see workers not as inputs, the environment not as our personal domain, and shareholders not as all-powerful. And we need to move away from old models of doing what is right for me and assuming it will turn out right for you.”

— Jacqueline Novogratz, Author, A Manifesto for a Moral Revolution

Amongst the pain, destruction, fear and uncertainty, the world is demanding a new form of leadership. Leadership that acts on aspirations beyond personal goals or even beyond the traditional bounds of a business or organisation but instead seeks to work towards the greater good. As a global society, we are facing unprecedented challenges that need solutions outside our current thinking. We need models that stretch our thinking and we need new frameworks to inspire our action.

 

We need leaders who serve the greater good.

First and foremost, Greater Good Leaders serve a purpose beyond themselves. We dare to imagine a future which affords everyone opportunities for safety, growth, choice and dignity. We dare to imagine a future which values the intangibles as much as the tangibles – our environment, human connection and the arts.

Greater Good Leaders take radical responsibility for the challenges in the world. We do not shift to blame others or shirk away from these responsibilities, but we take them on – together with others, with all the vulnerability of not knowing the answers. We live and act with integrity and take on our leadership duties with the greatest sense of honor and responsibility.

Greater Good Leaders hone our strengths and talents to face these challenges and responsibility. We act with humility through always listening, learning and building trust with others. We focus on changing ourselves first – growing our talents as well as understanding of the world. Leadership is not about me – but it is personal. We can only start with me – improve me, transform me – then we can attend to the global transformations we seek.

Now more than ever, we need a moral revolution, a moral compass to guide our leadership. We are yearning for something different – from our political leaders, business leaders and community leaders.

 

Here are 9 reasons we need Greater Good Leadership more than ever

 

1. We want to trust our leaders again

There is an all-time low level of trust in leaders and institutions – from government, politics, business or religious organisations. Trust has been broken and it needs to be repaired.

We want to trust our leaders – we want leaders who have honed their competence to perform their job well, leaders who care deeply and listen to concerns, and who are genuine and sincere in their words, actions and decisions. We’ve over leaders talking one way and acting another – you lose all respect, trust and credibility.

 

2. We want leaders who are ethical

An individual has not started living until they can rise above the narrow confines of their individualistic concerns to the broad concerns of all humanity”

— Jeff Klein, Author, Working for Good

Great success, profits and power can’t be at the expense of people or the community as a whole. Unfortunately, we see leaders who are willing to overlook wrongdoing if it benefits their success. Greater Good Leaders view performances within the lens of ethics, asking what has been the means to create this success.

Being ethical in your decision making and actions is core to greater good leadership. Being a person of integrity, honoring your word and doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

We want leaders who walk the talk who are inspiring people who lead by example. Our actions matter more than our words. Every day we show our values through our words, actions and decisions – what are you communicating through your behaviours today? Greater Good Leaders are cognisant of the values that drive our behaviours and work hard to ensure we are reflecting our values clearly.

 

3. We want leaders who take responsibility

Making the choice to take full responsibility is the foundation of true personal and relational transformation”

— The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership

Leaders who blame and shame others for the problems we face are tiring. We seek leaders who take responsibility – radical 100% responsibility. These leaders understand they may not have created the problems but they will definitely not be part in continuing them. We must be accountable for our words and actions and openly acknowledge our mistakes when they occur. We are all human. We are all learners.

 

4. We want leaders with true vision and imagination

What does following in the footsteps of everyone else get you? It gets you to exactly the same conclusions as everyone else.”
—  Ryan Holiday

The goal posts have moved – we want goals and ambitions, vision and futures with less greed, corruption, pollution and poverty and more wellbeing, connection, ethics and dignity. We need to inspire long term thinking, audacious goals as well as small incremental change. We ought to encourage leaders to dream of what could be – looking for solutions which are inclusive and sustainable. We need leaders who are willing to challenge the status quo and with that the traditional powers.

 

5. We want leaders who display courage

People see the injustice in the world. We want change. We see the discrimination, greed and corruption, and we need to see these injustices brought to justice. Otherwise we lose confidence in our democracy.

This takes true courage – the ability to face discomfort and be brave to work towards the greater good. Courage means using your voice, standing up for what you believe in, seeing things from different perspectives and working together with others.

 

6. We need more than a strong man – we need diversity

We’ve seen a resurgence of a ‘strong man leadership’ with global leaders exhibiting tough guy, hyper-masculine toxicity. We’ve also seen the world see the race discrimination that still infilitrates our structures, norms and behaviours. One man, race or country does not have all the answers to solve the complex problems of the world. We need now more than ever, a diverse collective to overcome the challenges we face. We must embrace diversity in all its forms, be willing to listen and learn, and seek conversations for understanding.

This is love work. Love is one of those words that is hard to define. But in the context of this work, here is what it means to me: It means you do this work because you believe in something greater than your own self-gain. It means you do this work because you believe that every human being deserves dignity, freedom, and equality. It means you do this work because you desire wholeness for yourself and the world. It means you do this work because you want to become a good ancestor. It means you do this work because love is not a verb to you but an action. It means you do this work because you no longer want to intentionally or unintentionally harm BIPOC”

— Layla Saad, Author, Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World

7. We value more than just the bottom line

We can no longer afford false divisions between work and community, between ethics and economics. But how can we change from a system which values endless increasing profit and materialism to one in which the core values are community, caring for the environment, creating, growing things and personal development? We empower people. There aren’t many motivating forces more potent than giving your staff an opportunity to exercise and express their idealism”.

— Anita Roddick, Founder, The Body Shop and Author, Business as Unusual

There is more to the world than profits. We need meaning, we need well-being, we need connection, we need a clean and enduring environment. These goals don’t even need to be in opposition to money and growth but we need to re-imagine it’s relationship. Conscious capitalism is re-envisioning what could be and it’s the way of the future.

 

8. We want vulnerability from our leaders

Our ability to be daring leaders will never be greater than our capacity for vulnerability”

— Brene Brown, Researcher and Author, Dare to Lead

Greater Good Leadership requires vulnerability. We don’t know all the answers and we can’t be perfect. Brené Brown describes vulnerability as “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” It’s that unstable feeling we get when we step out of our comfort zone or do something that we can’t control the outcome. Greater Good leaders commit to showing up and doing the work anyway.

 

9. We want leaders who work for our most disadvantaged

Greater Good leaders are characterised not by what they get (power, fame, fortune) but what they give. They put themselves last – they serve others first. They are working beyond their own self interest and instead have a genuine concern for others. They put themselves in other people’s shoes. They listen and work together with people. Do you give more to the world than what you take?

 

We are the leaders we desire…

Greater Good Leaders are not out there waiting to be discovered. We need to be the leaders we desire. In these challenging times, we must not seek outside, we must seek inside ourselves to grow into the best leaders we can be in this moment in history. To improve ourselves so together we can improve the world around us.

 

Want to join the Greater Good Collective? Launching 1 March

On 1 March, I’m launching the Greater Good Collective, a 3 month personal leadership journey to live and lead courageously to create a better world.

Check it out here to join us.