CURATED ARTICLES – BOOKS RECOMMENDATIONS – QUOTES – QUESTIONS – EXCLUSIVE OFFERS – GUEST LEADER – AUDIO RECOMMENDATIONS - COACH’S CHALLENGE |
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Welcome to the August issue! Since many people are still finishing summer holidays, ramping up for kids returning to school, taking a deep breath before a busy end of year push, I’ll keep this one light, joyful, and brief! A story comes to mind. When I lived in the small town of L’Aquila, Italy at 19-20 years old, I was treated to the idea of living life to its fullest. I noticed how everyone in the town, the capital of the modest Abruzzo region, worked to live, instead of lived to work. There was a joy of community, connecting, and just experiencing good times with people in the community. And work happened. But it didn’t define anyone. Years ago, I also saw a movie from Michael Moore –if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it: Where to Invade Next. He travels to a variety of countries to learn about some of their most valuable cultural traditions, and jokingly looks to claim these as ‘owned by the US’. In Italy, he speaks to the CEO of (I think it was) Fiat and addresses the generous August time-off tradition. He asks the CEO what he thinks about every employee taking the month predominantly off from work. All for it, and a participant himself, I’ll paraphrase that the CEO says, ‘Of course! This is such an important time for everyone to relax and recalibrate! We have all been working hard and everyone needs a break so that they can be fresh when they return to the workplace!’ I hope this month’s newsletter will inspire to you in some way to take a pause to recalibrate. Whether it’s a short pause (or 2) in your workday, giving yourself time for YOU every week, or heading out on a vacation sans laptop (something I managed to practice even in my work-first days): you deserve it! You, your work, and everyone around you will be better for it! The work will be there, and the world won’t come to an end, but it can make all the difference! Your thoughts and ideas for ongoing content are always welcome at alison@thelensleadership.com, and a great leader once told me, ‘Sharing is Caring’, so feel free to share with others, who can register for The Lens Leadership newsletter HERE. ~ Alison |
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Bow Wow Wow Yippy Yo Yippy Yay Doggy Dogg's Definitely in the House! |
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Keeping things light and airy in August! And… from what I can tell there are a lot of you who might just welcome that! Here are 6 leadership lessons you may have picked up on while watching Snoop at the Paris Olympic Games! CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE! |
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5 Little Exercises for a Winning Mindset |
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| | Whether you're leading a team/company, navigating a complex project, or just striving to be the best version of yourself, these exercises will give you the boost you need to proactively tackle challenges head-on and set yourself up to make an impact. |
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No matter who you are or what you do for a living, we all have those days where we lose steam, feel off our game, need a kick in the pantalones, or just want to tell someone to take a hike. It happens! Here are 5 perspective-shifting exercises to support you in reigniting that fire, rekindling the positivity, supercharging that creativity, and coming back to the game with a winning attitude! | | |
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The Circles Around Us Brad & Kristi Montague |
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You ask: but why a children’s book? Well, to me there are so many children’s books that reinforce and teach us all important lessons that are the foundation for leadership. So, for August, I offer you, The Circles All Around Us. |
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Over the last several years I’ve been reflecting with a new appreciation for the many layers of my life, and relationships have certainly been a core element. I’m fortunate to have grown my circles far and wide, across many spectrums of life, geographical & ethnic boundaries, genders, preferences, cultures, professions, talents, and so on. My relationships come from every layer of my life – starting when I wasn’t even old enough to read this book. Adding new circles around us offers new perspective, brings new possibilities, and of course, expands our lens. As leaders it’s the relationships we build and networks we foster that gift us with growing opportunities to succeed. So, yes, it’s a children’s book. And it takes just minutes to read. But it offers an incredibly important lesson for young people to learn as part of their foundation, and for we adults to remember: the number one most important element of leadership is connection. And that’s what this book is all about. |
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“Self-care is the most underrated leadership skill." ~ Joy Donnell |
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What practices or rituals do you incorporate into your leadership approach that consistently uplift and energize both you and your team (if you don’t have a team, the people around you)? |
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AUGUST OFFER: Take the Reins: Be the CEO of Your Life! Register you or a friend in the September 27th cohort and get a 45-minute coaching session! |
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You know those times when life just keeps coming at you? The work keeps piling up, everyone at home is tugging at you from every angle, and all you really just want is some time for YOU to BREATHE so you can reassess away from the chaos? Create it! One of the pieces of feedback I often hear about the Take the Reins workshop is it delivers exactly this! It’s time to invest in you and only you, to step back from the noise, to connect with what’s important to you and only you, and to build & own a structured plan that will allow you to stay connected to what you value most. On September 27th, the first Take the Reins cohort of the Fall is happening, and it’s got some new elements added in for the first time! Jump in or invite a friend before this cohort is full! Register yourself or a friend for the Take the Reins: Be the CEO of Your Life Workshop on September 27th and GET a COMPLIMENTARY AND CONFIDENTIAL 45-minute coaching session with Alison to blow off steam, or simply be heard! Of course, you deserve that! TO REDEEM: after registering for Take the Reins, send an email to alison@thelensleadership.com with AUGUST NEWSLETTER OFFER in the subject line, and I will send you a link to my 45-minute calendar. LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE: https://www.thelensleadership.com/take-the-reins Questions about this offer, or requests for supporting tools can be made directly to me at alison@thelensleadership.com. |
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Meet Kevin Giles Strategic Business Advisor | Philanthropist | Founder Kevin, who is a leader you admire and why? Martin Luther King. MLK was a man of God, but I most admired his ability to lead during a time of daily duress and conflict. His actions spoke much louder than his words. Everyone knows what MLK has done for the country, but the way he led during a time when the world was against him, is what I find most admirable. His perseverance and strength to lead under those conditions says a lot about what kind of leader he was. What leadership lesson would you like to share? Never negotiate with yourself. He/she who negotiates with himself/herself always loses. You know, “I’ll skip the 2-mile run today because I am tired and ensure I make it up during my other runs this week”. No, you won’t, you’ve negotiated with yourself to avoid discomfort in exchange for comfort. Comfort disables, and discomfort enables. |
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| | What's important about JOY in leadership? People who are great leaders exude positivity, strength, intelligence, and happiness. Having joy is infectious and employees who observe it are more productive by their actions, words, and how they engage. Creating joy as a leader makes the workplace enjoyable, reinforces positive energy with colleagues, and promotes a great culture. No one likes to work for grumpy people, and the biggest reason that people leave their jobs is due to their direct leader. A leader who doesn't make it a point to generate joy on the team has the potential to negatively impact an entire organization. A lack of joy in the workplace is a poison pill for a terrible culture and even worse work environment. |
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AUGUST CHALLENGE: Make time every week over the next month for something atypical and joyful; something that fuels YOU! It can be 10 minutes or an activity that lasts for an entire day, but it has to invigorate YOU! AND give away some of the joy to someone else! The Rules: You are fueled by this activity. It’s something that would not have happened otherwise. You choose something every week 100% dedicated to YOU. AND, after you’re refueled, find a way to give some of that fuel to someone else! Of course, I love to hear from you after taking on these challenges! Please feel free to share your experience with me via email - alison@thelensleadership.com or LinkedIn! |
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I was with a client the other day – a senior IT leader by day. He was commenting about how he has come to realize that joy and fulfillment in life is the more important than any title. Then he referenced this old song from 1950: Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think, from Louis Prima, and we listened to it together. What a perfectly joyful song with an important message! |
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Listen on the following platforms: |
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