Hello folks, I trust your Thanksgiving was a day you can be thankful for. Mine was fantastic with both my brothers in attendance plus my aunt and cousin from Pennsylvania, my cousin from California and my son, daughter and both grandbabies, I have much to be thankful for.
I am a big fan of Stephen Covey and I have read several of his books. The two that stand out for me are “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families”. If you haven’t read Stephen Covey’s books, I highly recommend them. Mr. Covey was an amazing speaker, writer and family man. Stephen Covey promoted “The Character Ethic”: aligning ones’ values with so-called “universal and timeless” principles. In his book the “8th Habit” he professes “Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.”
I have written before about Accountability; “I am accountable for the choices I have made and I am making”. Accountability is about choices we make, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day. Our choices can be as simple as where to have lunch or as complicated as should I change jobs and move to another city or country. Regardless, if you are accountable, you own your choices. I believe it is easier to blame someone else for how my day goes or how my life is going. Accountability requires work as you first analyze your choice; did my choice work out they way I anticipated or expected? If it did, awesome, if not, what did I learn from it. Would I make the same choice again or choose differently. If I find myself playing the victim, I ask the question; What can I create to make my life better today? What can I do today to make someone else’s life better?
I read the quote by Stephen Covey and asked myself: What makes a great leader? I thought about that question and found many articles that describe the qualities of a great leader. In working with people I believe there are three things that help make great leaders; Communication, Values (Principles) and Accountability. Developing good communication skills allows a leader to engage with everyone around them at work, out in the world and at home. Discovering and declaring your values, i.e. Integrity, Honesty, Respect, Fun, Service, etc. defines who I am, not what I have or what I do. Being accountable allows me to move through life with confidence knowing that I can make a choice that did not work and move on, not blaming myself or others for the choices I made.
Making the effort to work on the things I mentioned above requires a lot of effort and is a choice. I made that choice some years ago and it lead me to doing the work I so love to do today. So, being a leader is my choice, and I am.
If you or someone you know would like some assistance in these areas or other areas they would like to work on, I would love the opportunity to work with you or would love an introduction.
Your comments and feedback are always appreciated.
Coaching is the most gratifying work I have done thus far in my life. There is no better feeling than assisting people to look at their lives with a different perspective, seeing results of their hard work and effort.