Pictured from left to right, Terri Jacke, MS, Deb Franckowiak, PhD, Mandy Nycz, MA |
Leadership and Giving
Leaders intuitively understand that it is necessary to give of themselves to help others grow and to move initiatives forward. A leader’s energy is the fuel that sparks movement within organizations, whether or not the leader possesses formal authority.
However, giving of a leader’s time, talents, and energy is most impactful when it comes from a place of happiness and helpfulness. Our intentions are not as mysterious as we may think, since they're usually easily detected by recipients. If we give to obtain attention, advantages, or rewards, our efforts may be rebuffed. Our genuineness and credibility may be called in to question.
To crystalize my point, consider what Mother Teresa once wrote: “It is not how much we give – but how much love we put into the giving.” Mother Teresa’s observation applies to all giving, not just giving at church, to charity, or among family and friends. So, it should come as no surprise that we, as workplace leaders, are most impactful when we give with gladness and a happy heart.
Today, just for a moment, take inventory of how you give of yourself at work. Have you gotten so busy doing your job that you have forgotten to give with love and happiness? How might you reclaim the joy of sharing your time, talents, and energy at work?
I would love to hear how you choose to gladly give of yourself at work! Join the conversation and enjoy daily insights, ideas, and inspirations at:
|
|
Inspire More
Everyone deserves work that they love. For those of us who are happy and fulfilled in our careers, one of the best ways we can give back is by giving of our time and talents to help younger professionals develop and navigate their careers. Some questions you might consider asking when mentoring others in both formal and informal ways:
- What role does work play in the kind of life you want?
- What do you want to get really good at doing?
- What is missing most from your current role?
- When are you happiest at work?
- Think of a day at work when, as you headed home, you might have said to yourself, "I would have done that for free." What happened that day to make you say that?
If there is someone in your life who is searching for career fulfilment and you want to help support them, know that we now offer gift certificates for career coaching, just in time for the holiday season. Contact us at Inspired Training Institute to learn about our options.
In the spirit of giving, we are pleased to share that Terri Jacke’s book is now available on Goodreads and you can read both the Introduction and Chapter 1 for free. Simply go to www.goodreads.com, search for Is This a Lousy Job or Is It Me? and click on the Preview link under the picture of the book cover. This would be a great gift for those searching for greater career fulfillment.
|
|
Professional Highlights & Dilemmas
Very early in my leadership journey, I became aware of my very unforgiving leadership style. I am not proud of the leader I was back then but I can say that through subsequent failures I made many course corrections to my approach and with the help of excellent mentors/role models, I was able to become a very different leader.
It was after a pretty major shift in my mindset about leadership that I picked up Adam Grant’s book Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success. I didn’t know what to expect from the book. Suffice it to say that while I may have thought I was more of a “taker” in the work setting, I found that I was really more of a “matcher” in that I often operated from the mindset of fairness or, in other words, my relationships were governed by an even exchange of favors.
Clearly, a seasoned leader will shift from one style to another based upon different work roles and relationships. What is fascinating, however, is that givers dominate the bottom AND the top of the success ladder. While givers, takers, and matchers all can and do achieve success, the givers that succeed actually create a ripple effect which enhances the success of people around them! Obviously after learning this, I strived to be more of a “giver” in the workplace.
What kind of a leader are you?
|
|
Character: The Secret to Impactful Leadership
You are in a visible position at the top of your organization. Your leadership is critical to the success of the company, but you’ve faced an uncomfortable reality: You’re incapable…
|
|
Featured Podcast
Looking for AND Podcast | Terri Jacke
When was the last time you thought of developing your own character? How would you feel if you knew there were multiple stages to character development that directly impacted your…
|
|
info@inspiredtraining.net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
