Category: Leadership Quote

Leadership Quote: We Cannot Become What We Need To Be…

August 26, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: We cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are – – Max Depree

When faced with anything new that is significant in our business or our life… a new role, a new competitor, a new technology, most of us humans, first resist.

And, it is what we do next that matters most.

Change is difficult. And in my experience as a leader and a leadership coach, what I have learned is when we say we like change, the truth is we only like change when we are leading it. When change is thrust upon us, the resistance begs to take over.

What if instead, we were to embrace all the change that comes our way, not just the change we initiate. By recognizing that we cannot remain as we are; rather, we must recognize the changes we must make within ourselves so that we can become what we need to be to thrive in the new environment.

Leadership Quote: Giving People Permission To Fail…

July 29, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: Giving people permission to fail is more important than giving them the tools to succeed.

In my experience as a leadership coach, many, if not most leaders, struggle with this one. We often know the answer and are quick to give it. Or, even step in when we see the situation “going south”.

And, we become frustrated when our staff chooses the safe choice rather than the best choice.

Is there perhaps a correlation here? What if instead we explicitly give people permission to fail and let them, what might the outcome be?

Please share your stories.

Leadership Quote: I Am Part Of All Whom I Have Met….

June 24, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: I am part of all whom I have met. – Alfred Lord Tennyson.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned since becoming a Vistage Chair is this one. How many times do we as leaders say to ourselves, “I am different, they are different, that is the reason we cannot communicate.”

What if instead, we asked ourselves the following questions when dealing with a difficult communication challenge:

What can I learn about the person I am dealing with that will give me insight into them as a human being?
What life experiences do we share?
What personality traits, interests, passions do we share?
How might what we share, help us to communicate?

Leadership Quote: The Key Is Not To Prioritize What Is On Your Schedule..

May 27, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. – Stephen Covey

We often hear time management tips about taking time to plan your schedule. What we often hear is to prioritize what is on the schedule. What Stephen Covey reminds us with this quote, is to pause, choose our priorities and then schedule them.

As a leadership coach, I recommend the following 5 step approach to my Vistage members and coaching clients:

Start with the wheel of life, what are my “spokes”?
What do I need to feel in balance with each of the spokes on my wheel? Remembering that balance is different for each person, see 2/5/12 blog: The Ever Elusive Search for Work/Life Balance
What are my 3 or 5 year goals for each spoke?
What actions do I want (need) to take this year to move me toward those goals?
Each day, when planning the day, ask this question: How do I want to spend the 16 hours I am not sleeping so that I complete the actions I set for myself this year?

Leadership Quote: We Are What We Think…

April 29, 2012February 2, 2023 by Elisa Spain1 Comment

This month’s leadership quote: We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. – Dhammapada

We hear quotes like this from Vistage speakers, about the power of positivity, about trusting the universe and focusing on what we want to accomplish, about being mindful of how we show up.

The power is there; the challenge for us as leaders is to remember that what we think does, in fact, make our reality.

Here are some questions to consider:

Am I taking time each day to focus on the outcomes I want?
Are my thoughts consistent with the outcomes I want?
What am I doing each day to be mindful of how my thoughts become my outcomes?

Leadership Quote: Those Who Failed To Oppose Me…

March 25, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: “Those who failed to oppose me… who readily agreed with me and accepted all my views…were those who did me the most injury.” -Napoleon Bonaparte

As leaders, how do we avoid the trap of responding only to those who agree with us?

What do we do each day to encourage our employees to tell us what they really think?
Are we able to hear feedback from those who disagree and not brand it as “not being a team player”?
What forums do we have to solicit input from our employees who are “on the line”?
What actions have we taken lately that demonstrate we heard and listened to opposing views?

Leadership Quote: The Way You Do Anything…

February 26, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: “The way you do anything, is the way you do everything.”

Boaz Rauchwerger, Vistage speaker, attributes this quote to his Mom in his December 5, 2011 newsletter. The point, she says, is to be excellent at everything.

For me, as a leadership coach, this quote raises broader leadership questions:

Is the way I do everything, the same regardless of who I am doing it for or with?
Is the way I do everything, the same when I am doing it alone or when someone is watching?
Does “doing” include how I treat people along the way to achieving excellence; the old question, is the outcome what counts or is it the process?
Is the way I am perceived as doing everything as a leader, the way I want to be perceived?
As the leader, how does the way I do anything impact the culture of my business?