The leftovers are mostly gone, but everything in this week’s newsletter is fresh and piping hot. We’re making a list, watching for opportunities, and spreading some kindness in the resources below. Pass the stuffing!
:: Image of the Week
Celebrating small wins is a great way to promote change initiatives, develop new habits, and recognize people for their contributions. What small wins are you calling out this week? We’d love to hear about them.
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
A Chance of Awesome
Sometimes in life, you just feel … stuck.
When you’re stumped by a seemingly unsolvable challenge, sometimes all you need is a little nudge from an outsider with a fresh perspective, someone who points out the answer that was there the whole time. This book is that little nudge.
If you’re feeling discouraged, lost, or maybe even hopeless, this book is the spark you need to see the opportunity you’ve been missing and the inspiration to grab it.
One of Adultitis’s best tricks is to affect your vision so you see problems as roadblocks, risks as reasons to stay put, and dead ends as endings. The most successful people in life and business tend to see opportunities that others miss. This book argues that it’s not a talent; it’s a habit. The difference between success and failure is not luck; it’s about looking at your world in a whole new way. This book will help you do that.
Changing the way you see changes everything. And increases your chances of awesome.
This gorgeous 232-page full-color book is bursting with Jason’s whimsical artwork, which beautifully illustrates his witty anecdotes and wise insights. Featuring a soft cover with a spot gloss finish, this thoughtfully crafted gem is sure to make a statement, whether it’s as a gift or an inviting presence on your coffee table. It would also make a great holiday gift!
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
Lists You Should Keep In Your Phone For A Happier, More Organized Life
The Notes app doesn’t have to just be a catchall for random thoughts. These intentional lists will surely enhance your life. One example? Charlotte Upshaw started a note in her phone called “Good Things Are Always Happening To Me” and makes a point to add something to it every day. Upshaw started this daily practice as a way to shift her perspective to “focus on the positive things that I have versus getting down on the things that weren’t coming together,” she told HuffPost.
To that end, we asked well-being experts to share suggestions of other notes you can start that will make your life a little happier and more productive, too. You don’t need to incorporate all of these, of course — just try one or two that speak to you and see what changes for you.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/notes-app-lists-phone-happier-organized_l_66ce0766e4b054d208566faa
How to Tune Into Water’s Restorative Power
Indigenous scholar Dr. Yuria Celidwen guides us in a reflection on our interconnection with water, encouraging us to see it as more than just a vital resource, but as kin.
“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” – Joseph Campbell
:: Self-Leadership Development
Radiance and Magnetism in Leadership – very different, both needed
Lorraine Flower explains the difference between radiance and magnetism in leadership in this short post. Which do you prefer?
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Your Next Breakthrough Journal Prompts by Mark Manson
Author Mark Manson has a weekly newsletter called Your Next Breakthrough. He’s sent 100 newsletters and over 13,500 shared breakthroughs with his audience over the past two years of this format.
To celebrate this incredible milestone, they compiled all the life advice, reflection questions, and exercises for the week that made up the first 100 newsletters into a collection that you can use as a journaling prompt, tape to your fridge, or rub for good luck every morning.
If you’re looking to ask yourself some serious questions about growth, Mark’s resources might be useful. Download the 100 prompts below.
:: Work Culture & Team Development
Treat People According to Their Potential, Not Just Their Behavior
Stephen M. R. Covey is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and former CEO of Covey Leadership Center. He led the strategy that propelled his father’s book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to become one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine. He’s the author The Speed of Trust and more recently Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others*.
Despite everything we know about good leadership, a lot of places still operate in a command and control mindset. In this conversation, Stephen and I explore the key ways to shift from command and control to trust and inspire.
Key Points
- In spite of all progress, most leaders today are still operating from a command and control mindset.
- The carrot and stick approach still dominates most organizational cultures and tactics.
- The biggest barrier to becoming a Trust & Inspire leader is when we think we already are one.
- People are whole people. The best leaders care for the body, heart, mind, and spirit.
- There is enough for everyone. Trust & Inspire leaders elevate caring above competition.
- Enduring influence is created from the inside out. The job of the leader is to go first.
- All people have greatness inside them. Trust & Inspire leaders work to unleash potential, not control it.
https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/beliefs-of-inspirational-leaders-stephen-mr-covey/
Opportunities Come in Ways That We Can and Cannot Imagine
“Vulnerability is opportunity for growth, and growth leads to success.”
Gregg Potter welcomes Caroline Ouwerkerk to his podcast. As a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths-based coach, Caroline Ouwerkerk brings over fifteen years of experience to support mission-driven clients at a range of leadership and career crossroads.
Caroline runs the Impact Leaders Incubator, a leadership development program and community for women in social impact, and partners with universities and companies to offer interactive workshops on strengths-based leadership, career confidence, and mitigating burnout. She also provides private executive/leadership and career coaching for high achievers seeking more fulfilling work that maximizes their talents while creating space for all of their other priorities.
Listen in on their short conversation to learn a few tips on collaboration, strengths-based coaching, and social impact.
Check out Caroline’s free resources page at https://www.carolineouwerkerk.com/freeresources where you’ll find worksheets on landing your next role, making networking less hard, and beating imposter syndrome to name a few.
:: Productivity and Innovation
Innovation Requires an Environment of Creative Risk
There’s no such thing as true innovation without risk. If you really want to change paradigms, you must be willing to accept this fact and encourage people to come up with ideas that might make the organization uncomfortable. This means leaders must be thoughtful about creating the right conditions for innovation to happen. True innovation requires not just the right methods, but the right mindset—one that enables or, better yet, encourages people to offer creative, potentially risky ideas in a forum that promotes and rewards brave conversation.
David Schonthal shares eight key principles to consider.
1. Start with a social contract. “Start each innovation-focused meeting not by diving into ideas but by collectively developing a social contract for the discussion itself.”
2. Model from the top. Participants “will take their cues from the most senior participant, even if the social contract encourages ideas from every level,” so leaders should “set the tone and model desired behavior.”
3. Move from idea to action. “Ideas on a whiteboard aren’t enough. Find a practical way to synthesize key outputs from the meeting that lead to action.”
4. Have fun. “Productive ideation meetings should invoke a sense of play, often supported by humor.”
5. Mind the ‘peak end’ rule. “End with a bang, not a whimper.” To conclude on a high note, make sure to leave time at the end of the meeting to “discuss actionable next steps,” vote on top ideas, or review the social contract.
6. Do you even want to go there? Most people are pro-innovation in the abstract but can be less so in reality. “Be honest about whether you want to get people thinking differently,” and if you’re not ready for a risky approach, table it until you’re better positioned.
7. Beware the loudest voices. “In any meeting, the louder voices will tend to dominate, potentially squelching high-quality ideas from more reticent members.” Find ways to ensure everyone contributes.
8. Be careful with psychological safety. “Any group environment must feel safe and respectful,” but beware of group harmony veering into group-think. “The goal of any innovative effort is to provoke creative tension.”
https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/innovation-requires-an-environment-of-creative-risk
:: Communication
What’s the Difference Between Dialogue and Discussion?
In his groundbreaking book The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge powerfully distinguishes between dialogue and discussion: In a discussion, opposing views are presented and defended, and the team searches for the best view to help make a team decision.
In a discussion, people want the group to accept their views. The emphasis is on winning rather than on learning.
In dialogue, people freely and creatively explore issues, listen deeply to each other, and suspend their own views in search of the truth. People in dialogue have access to a larger pool of knowledge than any one person enjoys. The primary purpose is to enlarge ideas, not to diminish them. It’s not about winning acceptance of a viewpoint, but exploring every option and agreeing to do what is right.
From https://extraordinaryteam.com/dialogue_discussion/
“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” – Bryant McGill
:: Remote and Hybrid Work
8 Simple Acts of Kindness for Remote Teams
Boost remote team morale instantly with these small, powerful acts of kindness posted on LinkedIn by Hetali Mehta.
Building a positive remote culture:
– Boosts morale
– Improves collaboration
– Increases productivity
“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” – Bob Kerrey
:: Upcoming Events
The Art of Self-Leadership Webinar with Heather Younger
Date: Dec 10, 2024
Time: 12:00-1:00 pm
Online via Zoom
It’s time to cultivate a transformative mindset around personal advocacy and self-leadership. Join us for an exclusive one-hour webinar with best-selling author Heather R Younger, one of the world’s leading experts on Caring Leadership® and active listening in the workplace.
Heather will share powerful insights from her much-anticipated fourth book, The Art of Self-Leadership: Discover the Power Within You and Learn to Lead Yourself, set for release this January. Discover Heather’s secret to harnessing your inner strengths, advocating for yourself, and unlocking a new level of personal and professional growth.
In Heather’s fun and easy-to-understand style, you’ll learn:
- Proven strategies to elevate your leadership, no matter your role or career stage
- How to positively influence others through intentional thoughts and actions
- Why self-care is vital to sustain peak performance—and more!
We will also feature a live Q&A, during which you can ask Heather your questions. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the best—reserve your spot today!
https://weavinginfluence.com/webinars/art-of-self-leadership-webinar/?_hsmi=334627310