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In this Issue
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Changing Your Vantage Points to Create Advanta=
ge
Leadership as a Life Practice for Success=
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FREE Newsletter
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![3D"Join](3D"may07_files/image021.gif"=)
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Houston<=
/span> Speakers
Showcase
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Come join Houston<=
/span>'s chapter=
of
the National Speakers Association for an exciting event June 23, 2007
Find out More and Register Now!
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I am excited to bring you the very first edition =
of "Creating Your Advantage"
Newsletter. In life, at work and at home you have
thousands of informational exchanges/interactions on a daily
basis...through the Internet, the media, on the phone and in
person. These interactions have the power to shape our
lives...or more specifically, our interpretations to these
interactions have the power to shape our days, weeks, and ultimately
our lives. If you have ever gotten totally ticked off by=
an
email, you know what I mean. It has the power to ruin your
day....if you let it. To create advantage for yourself, =
the
power is in changing your vantage point to
"see" this information in a new light. In a li=
ght
that helps bring you whatever it is you want; more joy, more
success, more peace of mind....certainly not more aggravation! =
; So
next time an email ticks you off,&n=
bsp;be
sure to dust off this newsletter and read my article "Changing
Your Vantage Points to Create Advantage".
Take a look also at how Leadership isn't just for
the "top dog" of Corporate America
anymore. Change your vantage point to understa=
nd
how leadership is a necessary ingredient for your life,
whether at work or at home. These leadership principles =
can
help you "lead" a better life, =
pun
definitely intended!!!
Enjoy!
Laura
Click Here for an audio message from Laura
http://playaudio-345.com/play.asp?m=3D413691&f=3DDUDGOQ&=
amp;ps=3D13&p=3D1
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Changing
Your Vantage Points to Create Advantage
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![3D"back](3D"may07_files/image004.jpg") Don't let that
email spoil your day!
As we e=
nter
Memorial Day weekend, for many it feels like the start of
summer. We are slowly transitioning out of Spring... our
May flowers have bloomed and summer is looming not so far away,
change is in the air. As with any transition time, =
it
is a great time to evaluate if you are doing all you can to get
what you want in life and creating YOUR advantage. =
A good =
friend
of mine gave me a card with a wonderful quote on it a several
years back around this time of year. That quote helped me
change my vantage point when I was confronting a life changing =
;and
difficult situation. The card read: "Just
when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it becam=
e a
butterfly" anonymous. Very appropriate spring time,
in-need-of change message. This message came to me when =
my
then-company was going through a major restructuring. I had b=
een
at the top of my game, running a highly profitable business that
continued to grow both top and bottom lines. My colleague was
running a similarly large business that wasn't as profitable and the
business had in fact been in slight decline for several years. =
; I
believed that I was in line to get a nice promotion when the
restructuring efforts were over. Well, as you probably have
guessed by now, the story didn't turn out anywhere how I
expected. Not only did I NOT get the promotion, my
colleague got the top job and then I had to report to
him. I was completely blind-sighted and felt as if my life was
over! I was humiliated and downright angry. I was =
like
that caterpillar in its cocoon, except with an attitude and no=
t a
clue on how to come out. I was so taken back and so
angry! My anger worked against me every day. My
relationship with my new boss, thanks to me, started on thin ice an=
d my
actions over time hurt me and my work relationships and ultimately =
my
results. When I finally realized that what I was trying to do=
was
"un-do" what had been done to me by proving that
everyone was wrong about this decision and I was right. I
started to care more about being right than actually getting what I
wanted and needed in my life, which was to feel like I was making a=
difference
and contributing...and frankly to be joyful. I was so far
from that, I was miserable. I finally got tire=
d of
being miserable and hearing myself compl=
ain
that I decided that I needed to change the way I was looking at
things. I did have the help of a career coach that helped me =
see
that I was at odds with getting what I wanted by insisting
that I had to be right. I started to focus on what I wan=
ted
for the long run and I began my journey of letting go of tryin=
g to
fix what had happened...they had their reasons. At that point=
I
also decided that I would never let anyone else control my happines=
s,
especially not my company. I realized that even if they were
wrong and I was right, there was no point in trying to get them to =
see
it my way. What was done was done, even if it wasn't fair.&nb=
sp;
I changed my vantage point from focusing on them to focusing on me =
and
what I wanted. I changed my vantage point by focusing on=
a
solution and not the problem.
Over ti=
me,
these small, but miraculous adjustments in my perspective helped me
emerge as a butterfly. I started back then to build the
foundation for the path that I am now on. I got cle=
ar
about what I wanted and focused on that. When we
encounter big stuff like this... where our egos are so bruised=
we
can't see straight... this is where changing our vantage point=
s is
the hardest (2 year journey for me!), but it can have an amazi=
ng
pay off. However, changing our vantage points also works
great in the daily life department. So even when an emai=
l threatens
to tick you off and put you into the dreadful cocoon, you can emerg=
e as
a butterfly and walk away having a wonderful day! First =
take
a breath and ask yourself several questions...
1. What=
's
more important here being right or getting what I want? <=
/o:p>
2.
Does getting angry serve me and get me what I want?=
3. =
; Am
I focused on changing them or me?
4.
What do I really want out of this?
Happy
fluttering! Its definitely mo=
re fun
to be a butterfly then to be stuck in a cocoon.
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Leaders=
hip
as a Life Practice for Success
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It's&nb=
sp;Not
Just for the Board Room Anymore =
When&nb=
sp;I
have asked people "Who is the one person that has inspired
you the most in life?" the an=
swer
is most commonly a parent or teacher. And yet, we don't often
think of those people as leaders, but they often are. Leaders=
hip
is something that we solely think of in context of
business...reserved for the President of some large corporation or
business. This a common misconcepti=
on
about leadership and yet leadership skills are applicable to o=
ur
daily lives, at work and at home. I believe that we all have w=
hat
it takes to be a great leader.
But why=
do
we want to be great leaders? This is often where the second
misconception about leadership comes in. We often think =
that
leadership is only about motivating and inspiring others'=
to
get what they want. This is correct, but it only tells half t=
he
story, leadership is also a way for you to get what you
want! If you know how to be a leader, people will want to help
you get what you want, you won't have to=
tell
them what to do. You will engage their help and your goals wil=
l be
much more easily attained. The first mistake we all make is to
think that we have to do things or accomplish things alone. If
you have this mind set, you will find that getting things done is o=
ften
harder than they seem to be for others. Stop and observe
what others might be doing that you aren't.
Stephen
Covey's third habit: "put first things first" (The Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People) spelled out that relationship
building is often a "not urgent" activity that is highly
important. What happens is that people who are trying to do
everything by themselves don't prioritize the time to build
relationships, so they focus only on the urgent stuff. This i=
s a
no-win cycle because they get even busier because they don't know h=
ow
to engage and connect with others to help them on their journey.&nb=
sp;
It is a recipe for burn out and a recipe for not getting what you
want.
My new =
book
"The Connected and Committed Leader" will be coming out t=
his
fall. It will focus on helping you to build connections =
and
to be committed to those connections in order to be a better leader=
and
get what you want out of your life, at home or at work!
There will be a special offer on the first 100 orders, so be s=
ure
to order your copy early.=
I learn=
ed
this lesson the hard way. As a hard driving, ambitious career
woman, I thought that the only way to the corporate top was
working as hard as was possible. The reality is that you=
do
need to work hard, but you do also need to work smartly. Know=
ing
how to engage and connect with others is a smart way of
working/living. When you get this lesson and start to see it =
in
action, you will be amazed how people support your goals and h=
elp
you get what you want. You can actually start to relax a =
bit
and have more fun on your way to accomplishing a great deal.&n=
bsp;
Applying my leadership principles is not only a great tool at
work, but it is a great tool for life. I think that leadershi=
p is
a life practice for success. When we start being leaders=
in
all aspects of our lives, others around us step up in ways you never
thought possible. It is good for you and good for them, w=
hat
more can you ask for?
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