Art and I were in New York last week. On New Year’s Day, we had the opportunity to see “Revelations“, a dance choreographed by Alvin Ailey 50 years ago.
Though we had seen it before, we both found it gripping and inspiring. In fact, immediately after it was over, Art leaned over and said to me, “I just had a few revelations of my own while watching that.”
He and I set lots of goals throughout the year, so neither of us makes New Year’s Resolutions…but the idea of New Year’s Revelations was intriguing to us and even provided a snappy title for an exercise I suggested a while back for capturing lessons and wisdom from the year.
The thought was still on my mind as we sat waiting for our plane the next day and I ended up making a list of revelations that came about during my work with clients over the last year, then narrowed it to the top 10. Each of these revelations had a profound impact on the impact of the leader, evidenced by boosts in morale, productivity and overall performance of the leader and her team.
Here they are…10 Revelations that helped at least one leader take charge more effectively, make things happen and inspire others to do the same.
Resources. Use them. Leverage them. Many of us already have what we need. We often join another club, look for more followers, hire more people….though we aren’t getting full benefit from our current club memberships, followers, people, etc.
Energy. In a down economy, people watch the leader more than ever and interpret every expression, every word, every movement. Know what zaps your energy. Know how to boost it.
Vision. What is it? Share it. Otherwise – all that stuff you are asking people to do is meaningless. Or useless. Or maybe even a nightmare.
Eyes. We all know the importance of eye contact in communication. Builds connection. And trust. Are you really making eye contact. The person you were just talking with…what color are her eyes?
Levity. There is so much power in it. And wisdom.
Appreciation. Show appreciation for people. Remind yourself of all the good stuff in your life, in your business, on your team. Help your teammates do the same.
Take charge. You are the leader. They need you. They need you to share your vision. Be passionate about it. And lead the way.
Independence. Help each person work independently. Get tips from The Joy of Independence.
Objective. There are so many possibilities. So many actions we could take. So many topics to discuss. For everything you do, what’s your objective?
Now. The power of now.
Stop. You go at it so hard most of the time. Remember the importance of stopping.
Reflecting on these revelations made me think about quote #3 in 11 Quotes for the Start of 2011:
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”
Hal Borland
Lots of wisdom in the above REVELATIONS.
Wisdom that could even help us avoid doing the same damn thing over and over.
Perhaps I will make a resolution this year after all…
to help clients, readers and myself keep these revelations top of mind.
Jan is a coach, speaker and writer.
Her specialty as a coach is working with leaders to take charge in more effective ways, make things happen and inspire others to do the same.
Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Learn more here.
*Note: 10 by 10 on Tuesday (also know as a Quick List) is a weekly feature is for managers who don’t have time or don’t want to make time to read lengthy articles or even short paragraphs. Here you will find 10 tips or questions or steps or ways to Get 2 Goal or Be a Better Manager, etc). And it will be posted by 10 (AM – EST) on Tuesdays. Here’s our collection of Quick Lists to date.
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