leadership

Five Key Leadership Lessons from 2020

January 5, 2021 by Michelle Ray

If there is one gift 2020 offered to the world, then perspective would be a suitable choice. As we reflect on the year that just passed, hindsight can truly be viewed as 20/20. That is, the year provided great insight for the world. Humanity as a collective discovered how to be better: More empathy, open-mindedness and appreciation for the many things that we used to take for granted. For example, the simple act of a hug, enjoying the company of family members at the dinner table and perhaps more significantly than any other state of being, the freedom to go about our daily lives without restrictions.

Organizations have also gained benefits from the unexpected, adverse circumstances. Although many leaders may not have initially viewed 2020 from a positive lens, the imperative of adapting to these challenging times provided numerous opportunities for introspection and improvement. Leaders can glean the following five key lessons that will continue to have relevance for years to come: [Read more…] about Five Key Leadership Lessons from 2020

Transformational Leadership: Individualized Consideration

May 25, 2020 by Michelle Ray

Two individuals, Bass and Avolio, developed four key elements of transformational leadership: Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation and Individualized Consideration. The latter is defined as providing individual team members with sincere attention to their respective emotional states of mind, needs and concerns. Consider the trajectory of your career to date and the impact of leaders who have intentionally made it a priority to show interest in you, your family and your pursuits outside of the workplace. Are you able to easily recall these experiences? Ideally, you have more than a few positive memories of leaders who made a deliberate effort to get to know you on an individual level, encouraging you to succeed and replicate this core attribute. [Read more…] about Transformational Leadership: Individualized Consideration

Unprecedented Times Call For Exceptional Leadership… Now More than Ever.

April 24, 2020 by Michelle Ray

As I work with leaders from organizations in the corporate world, small businesses, associations and all levels of government, what I consistently see is a collective desire to respond to on-going change and disruption with less struggle and anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated their concerns as they scramble to adapt to the unexpected and unfamiliar new realities that have been thrust upon them. Specifically: How to keep themselves and their teams feeling positive about the future, how to take the lead when there is so much uncertainty and how to effectively manage and keep their teams engaged remotely. [Read more…] about Unprecedented Times Call For Exceptional Leadership… Now More than Ever.

It really does start with you!

December 11, 2019 by Michelle Ray

When you think of the word leadership, what comes to mind? It isn’t surprising that the majority of people associate specific meanings to leadership that include authority, position, seniority, being at the helm of an enterprise, or having ultimate responsibility for bottom line results. However, in order to achieve success as a leader, one needs to have the capacity to take charge of oneself first. To be a quintessential leader requires a specific mindset, along with certain professional traits and attributes that inspire individuals to perform at his or her best. Sadly, many leaders fail to understand the need to practice personal leadership in all interactions.

Therefore, the essence of leadership is about strength of character, regardless of one’s position in an organization, association, political party etc. In addition, we may falsely assume that a person’s “title” denotes credibility. As many of us have experienced, credibility must be earned rather than given. And this has nothing to do with a plaque on a door or a desk, or a title on a business card. It’s about who you are at the core that truly matters, rather than what your title indicates.

So no matter what your role is in an organization, no matter what industry you work in, it’s not about your job or “pecking order” in your organization. What is most important is to understand that leadership is a choice. It is a reflection of how you see yourself. Are you an initiator? A change agent? A provocateur? Do you have the capacity to inspire yourself and take responsibility for your actions? Leadership really does start with you.

Whether you are on the front line, or a senior leader, or perhaps running the company…running your business, you are ultimately accountable for your own behaviours, choices and how you decide to interpret your circumstances.

In the workplace, we are all one hundred percent responsible for creating the atmosphere. We all make a contribution everyday that leads to a particular culture. It’s about you being conscious of who you are and it’s about your character that truly matters above all else.

What are you doing on a daily basis to take the lead in your professional and personal relationships? Ultimately, relationships with your colleagues and on a grander scale, with all everyone that you interact with? You have an opportunity on a daily basis to be the best version of you, to mentor others, contribute to your workplace and lead by example. In short: We can all choose to become the leaders of our own lives.

This article is a transcript of a video on YouTube.

Michelle Ray (Twitter) is one of the best international leadership keynote speakers in Vancouver. She helps you discover your potential through presentations, coaching and consulting. With over 20 years of experience Michelle has worked with hundreds of companies around the world. She is taking bookings for speaking engagements and can be contacted at MichelleRay.com

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

November 27, 2019 by Michelle Ray

We’re all familiar with the adage: “Can’t teach an old job new tricks?” Well, I beg to differ for this reason: If we don’t teach those old dogs new tricks, they simply won’t survive. And if you’re one of those “old dogs”, maybe that’s you as a leader…struggling with the idea of embracing new realities; evidenced by the way that you have been leading your organization.

Like dogs, many humans find it difficult to learn something new when the context changes. In our current business landscape where disruption has become the norm, it is easy to understand why leaders struggle in a “change in context” environment. Humans are also creatures of habit. We become uncomfortable with the unfamiliar and find it difficult when the context in which we are doing business changes. The adage “repeated discomfort generates comfort” is one solution that can be applied in the face of change and uncertainty. However, if we are to accept new realities, we first need to address our mindset.

Thoughts are driven by our deeply held beliefs, which manifest as attitudes that dictate outcomes. The manner in which we interpret situations and events and subsequently make decisions is evidence of mindset in action. It takes years to form habits and may take even longer to break them. For this reason, the idea of altering perspectives may seem overwhelming. Unlike dogs, humans possess a higher level of consciousness and larger cerebral cortex with space for complex abstract reasoning. We have the capacity to shift our thinking in order to embrace and adapt to a new order of things. The difficulty lies in overcoming internal pre-programmed messaging regarding our fears and consequently, our mental roadblocks when faced with the need to do things differently.

Remember that you have invested a certain amount of time choosing to view your enterprise in a particular light. If you suspect that you are resisting the need to move forward and “learn new tricks”, it may be helpful to ask yourself: “How accurate is my perspective? “ Or “Is my fear real or imagined?” You may discover that your frame of reference regarding how you view the business landscape is no longer serving you, and it’s time to muster the courage to take the lead and welcome new possibilities.

Can your organization afford to get stuck in the old ways of doing things? It isn’t unusual for leaders and teams to buy into the chorus of voices that say: “Why do we need to change if everything’s working? We’ve always done it that way so why should we change now? “ There is a new imperative requiring you to be that “new dog” who is willing to practice new tricks. Are you holding back your organization by accepting the default “we’ve always done it that way.” position?

Change is possible when you decide to let go and to be willing to constantly improve and to try new methods and new ways of doing things. The most successful organizations are embracing innovation and new thinking as part of the normal way of going about their business.

Now, and in the future, learning “new tricks” is essential to not only survive, but thrive. By letting go and changing your habits and the habits of your business, you will see what is possible… and amaze yourself in the process.

This article is a partial transcript of https://youtu.be/nZrtPgctx5k on YouTube.

Accountability Starts with You

August 2, 2019 by Michelle Ray

Picture this: you’re now the executive producer of a movie, and your workplace is a movie set.

Every day you have a cast and crew show up. Their job is to create a “blockbuster”–a smash hit—so you have more customers, greater profitability, and increased success.

But then you hear them say things like:

“It’s not my job, I just work here,” or, “It’s not my responsibility.”

“Dead Wood” Employees

June 7, 2019 by Michelle Ray

This article was originally posted on November 9, 2016, and has been updated.

“I’m done.” If an employee is telling you this, it means she has reached her limit. For one reason or another.

It could have nothing to do with low morale, lack of opportunity, or a dislike of her job.

She may be ready to move up, move on or begin a new chapter in her life.

All perfectly reasonable reasons to leave a position.

However, she may have shut down or become apathetic. Or maybe she is sucking the life out of her co-workers by being negative day in and day out.

Also known as a “dead wood employee”.

Passionate Leadership: 12 Key Traits That Distinguish The Best From The Rest

May 24, 2019 by Michelle Ray

This article was originally published on September 7, 2016, and has been updated.

Do you remember your first encounter with a passionate leader?

The reality is that any leader can be passionate…if they know what to do.

But first, let’s look at why this is so important. [Read more…] about Passionate Leadership: 12 Key Traits That Distinguish The Best From The Rest

Communicating effectively is the Secret to Success

April 4, 2019 by Michelle Ray

Communicating effectively. Is that you? Communication is the secret to success. Without understanding others, without understanding that we, when we send a message as leaders, we are ultimately responsible. Your communication is not something that other people should be trying to figure out.

In any communication, there is always a sender and a receiver. So when we are communicating with others, we need to communicate effectively. We need to be clear. We need for others to understand exactly what they mean. The leader who communicates a message and then thinks to themselves, hmmm, I don’t think they got it. Well, if that’s you, then it’s actually your responsibility.

It’s not the other person’s task to understand what you meant. It’s your responsibility to be clear, and every person needs different communication. Some people, they may not need a lot. They may already have the skills to do the task, but there are others who need more direction, more communication from you. So we can’t communicate with everyone in exactly the same way.

We need to be flexible ourselves, and those leaders who have the ability to communicate effectively understand that one size doesn’t fit all. Being a great communicator is everything because business is all about communication, and business is all about people. So I would suggest if you wanna be a better communicator as a leader, do everything possible to hone those skills to be open to learning to be open to communicating.

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIbqu54h2_8 on YouTube.

Valuing Diversity and Difference

February 28, 2019 by Michelle Ray

In leading others as SHRM say, one of the most important things that we can do is value diversity and differences in others. To be able to celebrate those differences is gonna make you successful as a leader, and it’s gonna make your organization successful. Because we want to be able to embrace differences and not to categorize people because they are different. That is the key to having success for our organizations.

It’s never been more relevant than it is today. Do you value diversity? Do you value diversity, gender diversity, cultural diversity, divergent thinking? That is what makes you a great organization. That is what makes you an organization that is separating yourself from the competitors, separating yourself from your competitors. Because people are watching you. They are watching you as a leader. They are watching you as an organization. Make no mistake that you as a leader, when people are assessing your business, are assessing the opportunity to work for your organization. They are looking at your ability to recognize and celebrate diversity. Because if we look at the world through a myopic lens we are in trouble.

We need to be able to celebrate all the differences that are out there in terms of people, in terms of their way of thinking, in terms of the way that they are operating. My hope is that for you as a leader you will always remain open minded.

Because, as a famous poet Anonymous once said, many an open mind should be closed for a repairs.

This article is a transcript from Michelle Ray’s Leadership Secrets at YouTube YouTube.

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