[Own Your Life Wed] Only You Can Do This!

Dear Difference Maker,

I never asked my kids if they wanted to brush their teeth.  I directed them to just do it when it was time to get ready for bed and so they did!

When I first started my own business over twenty-five years ago I did not apply the same directives with my employees.  Having worked with thousands of other people’s children I knew how to lead and call the best out of them.

With adults I had a mental block.  I was surprised at how I did not seem to be able to simply lead and create team synergy like I had when I was a winning championships as a volleyball and basketball coach.

I was much more concerned with their buy in than the greater vision I was intending to build with them.

When I’d spent all of my own money to get my endeavor off the ground and had not succeeded at being able to support myself or my young son as a single mother, I started bridging what I already knew how to do with children with the adults working along side of me.

That’s when things changed for the better.  There are just times when you take charge and direct people and there are times when you encourage them to brainstorm and participate in the direction you will all be taking together.

I’m not the only person who struggles with this whether it be in Education, Business, Organization or Church leadership I’ve coached gifted people in leadership positions over the years and the one area where many of them miss the mark of what’s truly possible is inadvertently being afraid of their people. That instead of making the decision to go forward with what they know will be best and just do it as the Nike slogan says, they acquiesce.

I’m going to be honest with you.  I’ve talked with many a leader who is excited about my Make A Difference Power of Acknowledgment UTrain Program. They know they need to put an end to the energy robbing undercurrents among certain factions of their staff because they know just how much this negativity can trickle down throughout an entire organization and therefore generate more of the same.

Their excitement and complete understanding of what positive change it will bring inspires me.  I can already see through their eyes what an enormous difference they are going to be making throughout their entire organization with this program.

And then they say, “Of course, I will need to take this to my top tier team and get their buy in before investing and moving forward with the logistics.”

So you know what happens next.  I am told that their top tier team thought it was going to be too much additional work to their already maxed out work load and they were going to pass for now. Translation: change must be hard so let’s keep doing the same thing expecting different results.

This is a truly a defining moment for any leader in the face of resistance …

See why only you can do this!  

Reaching out …

MakeADifference.com/Education

Heart Productions & Publishing, Greater Boston Area