I have just returned from a week of professional development. Every year, I usually spend several weeks immersed in professional development in order to expand my knowledge of leadership, executive development and coaching. I was once again reminded how important it is to “sharpen my saw”, (Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), replenish myself professionally, and step back to develop my skills and competencies.
I began this last week attending the Executive Coaching Summit, a think tank of 80 executive and leadership development coaches and consultants from around the world. I then attended the 10th Annual Coaching Conference sponsored by the International Coach Federation. It was a worthwhile week of professional learning from some of the top Specialists, Coaches and Executives in the profession from around the world.
Update yourself as a leader.
As leaders, it is important to continue to learn new things, update your knowledge base and be challenged intellectually in your field of expertise. Many managers and executives find that it is sometimes lonely at the top and not easy to find others to learn from, especially those with senior leadership positions in organizations.
I’ve had my own challenges in this arena. I have almost 20 years of experience in the field of executive and leadership development with a focus on coaching, consulting and training. There is a lot to learn in this field and plenty of courses, books and professionals to learn it from. Yet, I still find it challenging to find the right mentor, the right coach, and a learning community to keep me on the leading edge of my profession with all the complexities of running a successful business. For me, it starts with linking who I am with what I do by thinking about the following questions:
Answers to these questions help create a foundation in which to build your work. Take a few minutes to think about your responses.
Investigate your leadership point of view. I spent time in a workshop at the ICF Conference investigating my leadership point of view. This powerful exploration helped me to identify my strengths as a leader in a way that made me remember why I am in the line of work that I am and what’s most important to me as I do my job day in and day out, and how this relates to my clients. Here are some of the questions we were asked in this workshop presented by Madeline Homan and Linda Miller from The Ken Blanchard Companies.
Surprisingly, answering these questions had a profound impact on me and other participants as we shared our leadership points of view with each other.
My leadership point of view is a work in progress. I share it with you below to inspire you to write your own and share it with others who work for and with you. The communication and dialogue benefits that will result from this exercise are tremendous.
My Leadership Point of View by Wendy Capland, CEO Vision Quest Consulting
Who am I as a leader? I am a pink feather boa wrapped around a lightening bolt. I add sparkle to my surroundings with an explosion of warmth. Those who work with me get the gift of direct, sometimes very direct feedback, advice, and counsel.
My intent in my personal and work life is to heal, inspire, and coach by touching the world one individual at a time. My impact in the world shows up in the light and sparkle in another’s eyes, the warmth of their smiles, the love in their hearts, and finally the courage of their actions personally and professionally.
Your turn. Take a few minutes to answer these nine questions and construct your own personal leadership declaration. You are likely to find that the benefits and inspiration derived will not be so much for yourself as it will be for those around you.
Declaring what’s most important to you about your work, your impact, and your legacy helps others define what’s most important to them. And isn’t that what leadership is all about? Leaders lead the way so others can find their own definition of success with the power and confidence to act and then to pass it on to others.
This is a great exercise to do with your direct reports one on one or with your management team!
Leadership Coaching Newsletter is written and produced by Wendy Capland. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to: wcapland@visionquestconsulting.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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What is it that I value? What do my clients value?
What is most important for me in my work?
What is my definition of success?
What kind of leader to I want to be and why?
What is the legacy I want to leave behind every day, every year?