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JULY - AUGUST 2013
| ISSUE: 17
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 | | NEVER GIVE UP |
Greetings! |
I hope you've had a GREAT summer! It is winding down and you may have noticed this is a two month combo newsletter. It turns out that a LOT of people go on vacation in mid-July through mid-August. So, it made sense to me to give the newsletter a vacation! In this Issue, I would like to chat with you about the topic of RISK - what it is and why we need to pay attention to our own levels of risk taking. There are all kinds of risks: physical, mental, financial, emotional, spiritual... Each of us has a "tolerance" and/or an "attraction" to risk in each of these categories at various levels that we need to notice, especially when we are leaders of other people, or organizations, or communities. Yes, I'm asking you to pay attention and consciously raise your RISK LEVEL AWARENESS! Taking a course in a new subject matter is a risk. Running a marathon is a risk. Having a tough conversation with your boss, peer, family member...is a risk. Racing a car is a risk. Falling in love is a risk. Starting a new business is a risk. Admitting failure is a risk. Trying anything new is a risk. When we take thoughtful or "calculated" risks that make sense to us, we learn, experience, and grow in ways that can't happen by staying comfortable.
1. Reference trust and reputation:
This requires due diligence and checking things out: Is this a good person to hire for this position, be my doctor, buy a car, fix my plumbing?
Risk and practice with experimentation and trial and error by slowly increasing difficulty: Run a mile, then 5, then 10, then 26. Start small and work your way up in difficulty.
Consider what you believe is the worst possible outcome and decide if you can live with it.
3. Becoming well-informed:
What exactly is in that soup I'm about to eat; how many surgeries of this kind has she done; how does this person fit in with my family and friends; what will it cost to invest in this business - financially/emotionally/time/effort?
4. Other learning:
What techniques can I learn about Constructive Feedback and Conflict Resolution; where can I learn to fly a plane in 6 months; can I teach myself to climb mountains?
Remember, you would never have learned to walk or talk without taking risks - you stumbled, you fell, you skinned your knees, you sounded silly, and you survived to tell the tale. Risk taking can and should be fun - it's new territory; it's always about learning something new, and you are usually smarter and better for it. Yet fear gets in our way too often and we stand still too much - in our work, our relationships, in our lives. Here's a model we use on a high or low ropes course that pretty much says it all; we call it "Challenge by Choice." Every risk is exactly that, unless, in a rare case, someone threatens you and you are involuntarily forced to take a risk you did not choose. Now the question is...what choices will you make to take risks that can enhance your work and life? Read On....
Life is ALL about taking risks. Every day when we wake up, get out of bed, and walk out the door, we are taking a risk. I included this short video for you this month because it reminded me why I chose to take the huge risk of building a new leadership community and our on-line course "Leading with Impact:Your Ripple Effect." It's taken nearly 2 years and several thousands of hours on the part of many amazing people who believe deeply in this project. The goal: to help anyone, anywhere, anytime who wants to:
LEAD LIKE IT MATTERS: BECAUSE IT DOES!
We never gave up! And today, I happy to tell you I am ecstatic and will be cheering from the mountain tops... We have LAUNCHED
AskRoxi.com is the place you and others can interact with me and each other, share and learn from each other, and gain tools and skills from the coursework and materials I've created. We also have created the 6 pack DVD version of the leadership course with a detailed Facilitator Guide and all Participant Materials on CD. This way you can OWN it and use it in-house with your own staff and no limit on numbers of participants. This is very cost effective for those who would want to train 50 people or more.
You will find 3 FREE chapters to the Course, a FREE MBTI report link in Module 1 Chapter 1, a FREE Leadership Styles Tool, and you get FREE membership to our community - forever when you sign up. You'll be able to purchase the entire course at the 50% off LAUNCH PRICING RIGHT NOW and receive the on-line pdf participant materials. You will also find a terrific 360 degree feedback Personal Mastery Tool Kit.
Now there are 5 ways to connect with the leadership community we've built:
1. AskRoxi.com 2. Linked In 3. Facebook
4. Twitter 5. AskRoxi Newsletter
These 3 links are right here.....    By the way, August is my birthday month, and this is my present to all of you! Many of you know how big a deal this is and has been. I want to thank you here and now for your encouragement and support. I hope you will visit soon and visit often. And I really hope you will give me constructive feedback about what you like and what you need. We will continue to work on the site to improve it - so all feedback is welcome. Oh...and please, if you like it....pay it forward! As we move into the next phase, and assuming you find our first course of REAL help to you, we will be adding courses by listening to what you tell us. Is it Talent Management, deeper dives into Conflict Resolution, Accountability, Creating a Healthy Culture? You tell me! Welcome Aboard!
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5 RISK QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
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1. What's the biggest risk I've taken in the last 12 months, 6 months, 3 months, week, and why did those feel risky to me?
2. What did I learn from the risks I did take?
3. How certain do I have to be about something new before I'll try it?
4.What happens at work and at home when I do or do not take risks?
5. What have I lost when I haven't take a risk my "gut" told me I should take?
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It's risky to tell the boss what I think. How should I manage up?
Answer:
Great question - we all come with our suitcase of fears, our authority issues, and we often have not learned good methods for giving constructive feedback to anyone, let alone our boss. So start with learning and practicing effective and constructive feedback! (Sign up for Leading with Impact and you'll get what you need!)
Here are 10 more managing up tips (adapted from Michael Feiner "The Feiner Points" and Michael Useem "Leading Up"):
1. Take Responsibility: You must recognize that you are solely responsible for the quality of the relationship with your boss and have the power to influence it.
2. Know your Boss (and yourself): To manage your boss, you need to know their style, their motivations and their priorities. You also need to know the same about you.
3. Help your Boss Succeed: Whether your boss demonstrates he/she cares about you or not, commit to your boss's success.
4. Keep your Boss Informed: She/he needs to know what's going on and no one likes surprises. An open flow of information is essential to building and maintaining confidence and trust.
5. Develop a Network of Influence: Avoid becoming over dependent on your boss. Build relationships with other leaders and draw on their influence to help you.
6. Serve the Mission: When your boss rejects your ideas or offers little guidance, focus on organizational mission.
Decisions must transcend personal issues that might get in the way of important work.
7. Build a Career Contract: You have a right to receive certain things from your boss including feedback,coaching, career counseling, and knowing how things work. Ask questions about your development how you fit into the picture.
8. Learn to Push Back: To preserve your self-esteem and integrity, learn to push back respectfully. Private criticism coupled with public support will ensure your voice is heard. Use good listening and feedback skills.
9. Maintain Respect: Contempt for your boss will be returned in kind. Never treat your boss like a fool, even if he or she is. And never upstage your boss -- it will only shorten your leash.
10. Act Grown-up: If you are not getting what you want, ask for it. If your boss is not giving you the support you require, ask for it. High performance leaders aren't victims.
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QUOTES
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LEADER COMMENTS and QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"Roxi, I forgot to tell you that I looked up the meaning of the dragonfly last week and found this:
"Realizing our true potential in a way that also benefits other people is the ultimate expression of the power of the dragonfly." Clearly, you possess the power of the dragonfly." Natasha
"Hi Roxi. We've had some de-briefing as a team and will pick up on values as a
function of agency wide strategic planning. The consensus is in - as an
organization we've accomplished a major shift... and our day with you helped
get us there!" Take care, Jeff
"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." - Mark Twain
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I encourage you to share this newsletter with anyone you feel would enjoy it. Remember, past newsletters on a wide variety of leadership topics are located in my archive in the link above. Just click and read.
See you in September!
Ecstatically yours!
Roxi Bahar Hewertson
AskRoxi.com
highlandconsultinggroupinc.com
Owned and operated by:
Highland Consulting Group, Inc.
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