by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 10 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Top 4 Characteristics of Inspiring Leaders
— From Equipping 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
I love the quote by Benjamin Disraeli, former UK Prime Minister who said, “The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.” I believe this is an essential characteristic of an inspiring leader: to show each person in the team his/her superpowers.
Most times, just as we cannot see our flaws, we need someone to point out to us our superpowers. They are such an integral part of us, that we don’t see them as the wonderful gift that they are, and instead, dismiss their importance thinking everybody has them.
In his book Equipping 101, leadership guru John C. Maxwell writes about leaders who inspire others to excel, and calls them enlarging leaders: “Team members always love and admire a [leader and] player who is able to help them go to another level, someone who enlarges and empowers them to be successful.”
He goes on to point out four characteristics of enlarging and inspiring leaders:
1. They value their team members. “Your team members can tell whether you believe in them. People’s performances usually reflect the expectations of those they respect.”
2. They value what their team members value. “[Leaders] who enlarge others do more than value their fellow team members; they understand what their team members value. They listen to discover what they talk about and watch to see what they spend their money on. That kind of knowledge, along with a desire to relate to their fellow players, creates a strong connection between them.”
3. They add value to their team members. “Adding value is really the essence of enlarging others. It’s finding ways to help others improve their abilities and attitudes. A leader who equips and enlarges others looks for the gifts, talents, and uniqueness in other people, and then helps them to increase those abilities for their benefit and for that of the entire team. An enlarging leader is able to take others to a whole new level.”
4. They make themselves more valuable. “Enlargers work to make themselves better, not only because it benefits them personally, but also because it helps them to help others. You cannot give what you do not have. If you want to increase the ability of your team members, make yourself better.”
At a practical level, Maxwell offers three suggestions if you want to become a leader who inspires, empowers, and enlarges others:
- Believe in others before they believe in you.
- Serve others before they serve you.
- Add value to others before they add value to you.
It’s that simple: putting others first and truly seeing them for the gifted, wonderful people that they are—just as we like to be seen as well—is the essence of a leader who inspires others to excel and to grow together with the team.
Have you ever been a part of an awesome team? How did your leader inspire you to become better? I’d love to know! Let me know in the comments here, please.
ACTION
TODAY: Whether you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company or a volunteer at a small nonprofit, you can always inspire and enlarge others around you to bring out their gifts and talents and be their best. What goal are you looking to accomplish? Inspire your team by keeping in mind this quote from Bill Russell, the famous basketball player who said, “The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d make my teammates play.”
FUTURE: Whenever you are in a team setting, look for opportunities to empower, inspire, and enlarge others. Start by giving yourself and your teammates an A, and see all the wonderful possibilities that come out of that!
Who has inspired you today? Please share this post this them! Email, Facebook or Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Creativity, Leadership, Mindset, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 46 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Giving Tuesday: Let’s Endeavor to Help Others
— From Endeavor: Thrive Through Work Aligned with Your Values, Talents, and Tribe by Scott Perry
I’m thrilled and very proud of my friend, Scott Perry, who just published his second book, Endeavor, with tremendous success. Bravo Scott! In his words, “This is not a self-help book. It’s a help-others book.”
And no better day to help others than today, Giving Tuesday, the international day of charitable giving during the holiday season.
The book is a quick read, and it focuses on developing or furthering what Perry refers to as an Endeavor:
“It’s more than a hobby, but not necessarily your job or role. It is a vocation found at the intersection of who you are, what you’re good at, and where you belong. An endeavor is work that you are meant to do now. An endeavor cultivates gratitude because you don’t have to do it, you get to do it. It also generates appreciation in others because it is a gift generously shared with those who need it. Endeavors shun the status quo. These efforts intend to transform. Endeavors strive to help people get from where they are to where they want to be.”
The book is beautifully written, and Perry takes the time to distill to the very essence some key concepts to bring clarity to one’s endeavor. So, in the spirit of Giving Tuesday, I want to share some of the thoughts that the author writes in the book about gratitude, generosity, grace, compassion, and empathy, as they are the basis for doing work that helps others.
Gratitude is the appreciation for what you have and receive. You may be grateful for a tangible object or an intangible concept. Regardless, when you mindfully and genuinely practice gratitude, there is science that points to profound benefits, not the least of which is a feeling of happiness.
Expressing gratitude acknowledges the goodness in your life. […] Gratitude encourages you to contextualize yourself, your circumstances, and your surroundings within a broader framework that acknowledges others. Appreciation inspires a feeling of belonging and supports an unselfish perspective. This all leads to a more sustainable approach to what is “enough.”
Generosity is the expression of kindness, understanding, and selflessness. […] It requires the recognition of others and therefore cultivates empathy and compassion. It leads to a feeling of “oneness” with others, which enhances the experience and emotional health of both the giver and receiver.
Developing your generous nature enables you to move beyond need and desire. Generosity helps you recognize that you are and have “enough.” You already possess an abundance of gifts. These gifts only have meaning through developing and sharing them.
Grace is the act of extending forgiveness or mercy. The word itself comes from the same root as that of gratitude and is embedded deeply into the practice of generosity. […] Grace is central to many of the world’s most impactful social movements. […] Nothing is more challenging than the pursuit and practice of grace. That’s why it’s so valued and worth your persistent effort. […] And grace begins with you. […] Be kind to yourself, and it will be much easier to extend kindness to others. Be full of grace.
Compassion is often conflated with empathy, but they are very different impulses. Empathy is the ability to feel and understand the state of mind of another. Compassion is feeling compelled to act on that recognition and to assist. Empathy requires effort; compassion demands action. Indeed, compassion is empathy in action. But there are still several important distinctions. Empathy is subjective; compassion is objective. Empathy is exhausting; compassion is energizing. […] Empathy is the gateway; compassion is the way.
So, what is your favorite charity and why? Let me know in the comments here.
I had the honor of appearing in Scott Perry’s wonderful podcast Creative on Purpose earlier this year. We had a fantastic conversation and would love to invite you to listen to it here.
ACTION
TODAY: This Giving Tuesday, pick a charity that resonates with your endeavor and give one (or more) of your three Ts: Time, Talent (skills) or Treasure (money). Being grateful for what you have and sharing it generously with others brings enormous benefits to both the giver and the receiver. (For more on the benefits of gratitude see this miniseries.)
FUTURE: If your time, talent and/or treasure allows, make it a habit of giving periodically. Your heart and soul will feel good, and the cause that you pick will benefit from your kindness and generosity.
Know someone who is a great giver? Please share this post! Email, Facebook or Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Creativity, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 55 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: One question every leader must ask when facing a challenge
— From Out Think: How Innovative Leaders Drive Exceptional Outcomes by G. Shawn Hunter
In his book Out Think, author G. Shawn Hunter shares lessons in business leadership and teamwork via interviews with renowned leaders. In one of his interviews, the author recalls asking Lincoln Crawley, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup (a leading staffing and recruitment company) if he could recall a watershed learning event in his career.
Crawley pointed to a time, about 15 years earlier, when one question made an enormous difference. He was trying to win a service contract for the firm for which he worked back then. He was the lead for this project, and he felt like David competing against Goliath in his industry. Everything pointed to him losing, as he was out-infrastructured (yes, I just made that word up…) and there was no way his firm could replicate the infrastructure of his competitor in the time required for the proposal.
“In discussions, during the proposal process, the people around Crawley described the technical and financial the company faced as insurmountable,” writes Hunter.
However, Crawley had a conversation with an external mentor, where the latter said he understood the issues and concerns raised, and then asked, “If it were possible, what would the solution look like?”
That one question is what unleashed possibility.
“That simple phrase, ‘if it were possible,’ gave the team permission to speculate and open up a whole new conversation. It was an invitation to dream.”
Crawley and his team then got to work, came up with a plan, and gave it to the prospective client.
The result?
They won the contract.
“I’ve taken those few words with me all through my career,” Crawley says. The author goes on to note that this phrase has been especially important when Crawley “can’t see his way around a particularly difficult situation [or] when the competitor seems unbeatable.”
Asking, “If it were possible, what would it look like? [Puts] you in a completely different environment where you’re not now talking about why you haven’t done something,” Crawley states. Instead, “You’re actually talking about how can we make this happen. It changes the conversation.”
Crawley pointed out a curious thing during the in the interview with the author: He didn’t fully recognize the power of asking this question in the face of a challenge until many years later, when he had a team of his own.
“Only then,” writes the author, “did he recognize that these four words opened up the capabilities and imagination of his team.”
To conclude, Hunter writes, “When we see that our teams are stymied, we should try asking them to use their imagination.”
The phrase, “If it were possible…?” is the one question every leader must ask when facing a challenge. It produces a mind-shift that enables both, the leader and the team, to focus on what’s possible. And by focusing on the possibility set amongst the constraints, and not on the obstacles themselves, this question lets the answers and solutions flow freely.
ACTION
TODAY: What challenge are you facing where you seem to be stuck? Ask yourself and your team, “If it were possible what would it look like?” and let your imagination run wild. A few answers will be crazy and undoable, but you’ll also come up with one or more that will reveal how it can, indeed, be possible.
FUTURE: Make it a habit of asking, “If it were possible…” whenever you are facing a challenge that seems insurmountable.
Know someone who would like this one question? Please share this post! Email, Facebook or Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Celebration, Collaboration, Creativity, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Opportunity, Planning, Resources, Time, Wellbeing
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 30 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: How to cultivate generosity as a leader–Part 2
— From The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow by John C. Maxwell
In yesterday’s post, we saw three habits of generosity that author and leadership guru, John C. Maxwell, suggests we develop to be more effective leaders. Today we’ll talk about one more habit, as well as specific actions we can take to improve our generosity and add value to others’ lives.
Develop the habit of giving. In 1889, Andrew Carnegie wrote, “The life of a wealthy person should have two periods: a time of acquiring wealth and [a time of] redistributing it.” Maxwell agrees with this point of view and says, “The only way to maintain an attitude of generosity is to make it your habit to give—your time, attention, money, and resources.”
Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. And as we reflect on the upcoming season of gratitude and generosity, here are a few questions that Maxwell poses to make us think about our generosity as leaders:
- Are you a generous leader?
- Do you continually look for ways to add value to others?
- Are you giving money to something greater than yourself?
- And to whom are you giving your time?
- Are you pouring your life into others?
- Are you helping those who cannot help you or give anything in return?
A few years back I heard the concept of the three Ts: Time, Treasure (money, material possessions), and Talent (wisdom, knowledge, expertise, advice, help). While it would be fantastic if we could give something from all those three areas, think of giving, at least, from one of them (time, money, or knowledge/help). Research suggests that making generosity a regular habit may influence long-term wellbeing and happiness, so there’s a clear win-win for both the giver and the receiver.
At this point, you are probably wondering if there’s any way of improving your generosity. Maxwell offers the following three things that you can do to add value to others:
Give something away. “Find out what kind of hold your possessions have on you. Take something you truly value, think of someone you care about who could benefit from it, and give it to [him/her]. If you can do it anonymously, even better.”
Put your money to work. “If you know someone with the vision to do something really great—something that will positively impact the lives of others—provide resources for [him/her] to accomplish it. Put your money to work for something that will outlive you.”
Find someone to mentor. “Once you reach a certain level in your leadership, the most valuable thing you have to give is yourself. Find someone to pour your life into. Then give [him/her] time and resources to become a better leader.”
To be generous you don’t have to be a billionaire, simply start where you are and give of what you have. Sow seeds of generosity on fertile soil, and they will take root and provide value now and many times over in the future as they are replanted and harvested by others.
If you celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I hope you will join me in this new lovely tradition that one of my favorite authors, Seth Godin, started: The Thanksgiving Reader. It’s been used by more than 100,000 people to date. And because I want even more people using it around the world, whether for Thanksgiving or for the upcoming Holiday Season, my sister and I translated it into Spanish (with Seth’s permission, of course) and you can download it here: The Thanksgiving Reader-ESPAÑOL.
ACTION
TODAY: Give some thought to improving your generosity by giving something away, putting your money to work, and/or finding someone to mentor. Alternatively, create your own “Project Generosity” with a specific goal and outline the steps you need to make it happen in a near future.
FUTURE: Put into action the thoughts from today. What steps do you need to take to accomplish the generous actions or improvements that you thought of? Whose generosity and help can you count on to make it happen? Don’t hesitate to do something bigger than yourself, simply consider doing it along with someone else: you’ll build a lovely experience and memory together.
Know someone who is very generous? Please share this post with that person. Thank you! Email, Facebook or Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Celebration, Collaboration, Creativity, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Opportunity, Planning, Resources, Time, Wellbeing
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 42 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: How to cultivate generosity as a leader–Part 1
— From The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow by John C. Maxwell
“Nothing speaks to others more loudly or serves them better than generosity from a leader,” says John C. Maxwell, leadership guru and author of The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.
“True generosity isn’t an occasional event,” he points out. “It comes from the heart and permeates every aspect of a leader’s life, touching his time, money, talents and possessions.”
Further, the author states that leaders don’t gather things just for themselves. Instead, they do it with the intention of sharing those things or giving them to others.
An effective leader, in Maxwell’s words, is someone that people want to follow. And one of the qualities of effective leaders is generosity.
So, how can we cultivate generosity to be an effective (or a more effective) leader?
Here are the habits that the author suggests we develop and nurture:
Be grateful for whatever you have. “It’s hard for a person to be generous when he’s not satisfied with what he has. Generosity rises out of contentment, and that doesn’t come with acquiring more.”
Maxwell shares a quote from one of the richest men in history, John D. Rockefeller, who said, “I have made millions, but they have brought me no happiness.” To which Maxwell replies, “If you’re not content with little, you won’t be content with a lot. And if you’re not generous with little, you won’t suddenly change if you become wealthy.”
Put people first. “The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him, but the number of people he serves. Generosity requires putting others first. If you can do that, giving becomes much easier.”
Don’t allow the desire for possessions to control you. Maxwell quotes a friend of his who says that people are divided into three groups: “Haves, have-nots, and have not paid for what they have.” The author points out that a growing number of people are “becoming enslaved to the desire to acquire.” This obsession comes out of a false illusion of control (owning) and the anticipated happiness that people hope the purchase will bring.
Happiness, as we know, comes from within. So, Maxwell says, “If you want to be in charge of your heart, don’t allow possessions to take charge of you.”
Regard money as a resource. Maxwell shares with us the unfortunate, yet popular view that when it comes to money, you can’t win. “If you focus on making it, you’re materialistic. If you try to but don’t make any, you’re a loser. If you make a lot and keep it, you’re a miser. If you make it and spend it, you’re a spendthrift. If you don’t care about making any, you’re unambitious. If you make a lot and still have it when you die, you’re a fool—for trying to take it with you.”
Fortunately, we don’t have to see money that way. There is, indeed, a way to win with money: “hold it loosely—and be generous with it to accomplish things of value.”
“Money is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. If it gets on top and you get under it, you will become its slave.” – E. Stanley Jones
Come back tomorrow for Part 2 where we will continue looking at habits to develop and practical ways to improve our generosity as a leader.
In the meantime let me know in the comments here: Who has done something generous for you lately?
And I’ll share my answer to that question with you: I am grateful for the generosity of my friend Andre Piazza, co-host of Octanage Podcast, for having me on his show this week. The podcast shares the life and success of entrepreneurs in Brazil and, thus, it’s in Portuguese. Yet since it’s been years that I don’t speak it, I’ve forgotten most of it, so Andre kindly allowed me to speak in Spanish instead. The result? An awesome bilingual podcast where we had a ton of fun! 🙂 If you understand either Portuguese or Spanish you’ll be able to follow along. Check it out!
ACTION
TODAY: Think about what generosity means to you. Who has done something generous for you? How can you pay it forward in the same way or differently?
FUTURE: John Bunyan wrote “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” What can you do for someone who can never repay you?
In the spirit of generosity, please share this post with someone who has shared something of value with you. Thank you! Email, Facebook or Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Planning
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 14 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: When creating your business vision, keep these points in mind
— From Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
Walt Disney came up with his business vision after taking his two daughters to an amusement park. In there, he was captivated by the carousel. However, when it came to a stop, “he observed shabby horses with cracked and chipped paint. And he noticed that only the horses on the outside row moved up and down. The others stood lifeless bolted to the floor.”
This disappointment is what inspired him to create his business vision of “an amusement park where the illusion didn’t evaporate, where children and adults could enjoy a carnival atmosphere without the seedy side that accompanies some circuses or traveling carnivals.” From there, Disneyland was born and the rest is history.
As a leader, it is very important that you, too, create your business vision. John Maxwell, leadership guru and author of Leadership 101, says, “Vision leads the leader. It paints the target. It sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws him forward. It is also the fire lighter for others who follow that leader.”
To create a successful business vision, keep in mind the following points:
Vision starts within. “You can’t buy, beg, or borrow vision. It has to come from the inside… If you lack vision, look inside yourself. Draw on your natural gifts and desires. Look to your calling if you have one.”
The author says that, as you look within for your vision, you must listen to several voices:
The inner voice. “Do you know your life’s mission? What stirs your heart? What do you dream about? If what you’re pursuing doesn’t come from a desire within—from the very depths of who you are and what you believe—you will not be able to accomplish it.”
The unhappy voice. “Discontent with the status quo is a great catalyst for vision. Are you on complacent cruise control? Or do you find yourself itching to change your world?”
The successful voice. “Nobody can accomplish great things alone. To fulfill a big vision, you need a good team. But you also need good advice from someone who is ahead of you in the leadership journey. If you want to lead others to greatness, find a mentor. Do you have an adviser who can help you sharpen your vision?”
And this last voice is essential if you’re having a hard time coming up with a vision of your own. Maxwell suggests hooking up with a leader whose vision resonates with you. If you can’t come up with your vision yet, but you are in alignment with someone else’s vision, perhaps, for the time being, the best thing you can do is to help out and learn as much as you can from this other leader. That way, when you have created your own business vision, you will know how to execute.
Vision draws on your history. “Vision isn’t some mystical quality that comes out of a vacuum, as some people seem to believe. It grows from a leader’s past and the history of the people around him.” Look at the story of Disney and many other leaders; it was connecting the dots of past events to their present capabilities that lead them to create their vision.
Vision meets others’ needs. “True vision is far-reaching. It goes beyond what one individual can accomplish. And if it has real value, it does more than just include others; it adds value to them. If you have a vision that doesn’t serve others, it’s probably too small.”
Run your vision by a small group of trusted friends and ask for their feedback. They will come up with ideas and twists that would have never occurred to you. Take what works and discard the rest, and you will be able to broaden your vision to add more value to those whom you will serve.
Vision helps you gather resources. “One of the most valuable benefits of vision is that it acts like a magnet—attracting, challenging, and uniting people. It also rallies finances and other resources. The greater the vision, the more winners it has the potential to attract. The more challenging the vision, the harder the participants fight to achieve it.”
ACTION
TODAY: Do you have a business vision? This can indeed mean that you are starting a business, but not necessarily. It means that you have a vision for yourself in business, whichever path you decide to follow, whether your own, or as an employee for a company whose business vision resonates with you. If you don’t have one, give some thought to the points above and create one. Remember this awesome quote by Rosabeth Moss Kanter: “A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.”
FUTURE: As you grow in life and business, make a point of revising your vision from time to time. Your vision must be exciting and relevant to the stage you’re in, and it’s also important to make sure it continues to lead you to where you want to go.
Know someone who would like this post? Please share! Email, Facebook or Twitter.
