08 Dec Happy holidays – a time to reflect and recharge

Happy holidays to all my clients and followers of Letting go. Stepping up; it ‘s a time to reflect and recharge. Have a restful and reflective break and return in 2015 to focus on those aspects of your life and career that are most important to you. In doing so, please browse some of my favourite posts of the past year.

Construct your life story: Develop as an authentic leader examined how by becoming an
authentic leader you will enjoy a loyal following and also develop greater inner strength. I used Nelson Mandela as one of the greatest role models to show how authentic leaders fall back on their inner strength when they are isolated, stressed or not certain of the right course of action. My next post followed the theme showing Why authentic leaders attract authentic followers.

In March I wrote about how to Manage your emotions better: Replace your musts and shoulds with wants and wishes by using a simple formula to respond and act in an emotionally intelligent way to stressful situations.

How to avoid making attribution errors in performance coaching explored how performance coaching puts effort into achieving positive outcomes and behaviours in others. The theme was around the importance of avoiding attribution errors. When attribution errors mar coaching, returns to both the individual coachee and her/his organisation are compromised.

Will you live your last 20 summers to the full? provoked by far the strongest response of the year from readers. It struck a deep cprd as readers reflected on their ‘last 20 summers’ as a metaphor for the period after you leave your full-time role in an organisation.

Tell stories to be an effective 21st century leader showed how story-telling helps a leader connect deeply with and motivate their people, customers, and communities, especially in an increasingly complex, ambiguous and uncertain world.

Networking: Invest in the right relationships at the right time explained why building a high quality network is four times the predictor of performance than others, according to research published in Harvard Business Review and pointed to the key elements of successful networking.

Based on Sonja Lyubomirsky’s ‘The How of Happiness’ It is possible to be happier, but not for the reasons you may think reminded us that to be happier we should look to ourselves, not to others, nor to our circumstances. I canvassed why it is possible, and desirable, for each of us to be happier.

A lack of curiosity killed the cat is a story about a client who believed the reasons for his previous success as a CEO could easily be transferred to his new role and why he failed and he was asked to leave. The moral of the story is ‘the best leaders are the best learners’.

When one door closes you can open the next one explains why an openness to learn, resilience
and adaptability will turn adversity into opportunity for leaders. The biggest lesson in life often come from failure. Do not despair.

Being skilled in dialogue is essential to being an effective leader is the theme of How to influence others. By practising dialogue you get in touch with your own thinking and feelings – and you will more readily influence others and make better decisions.

Perhaps you’ll let me know which of the posts you found most helpful – and why. Please drop me an email at margaret@beatonexecutivecoaching.com.

I look forward to being back with you all on Letting go. Stepping up. in the New Year.