Blog

We constantly hear about the need for more leaders. Whether it be leaders in an organisation, more women in leadership and/or how we should be developing more potential leaders.  Not forgetting for one moment, all the women who run homes and families (one of the busiest and most dynamically changing businesses!).  These women are also leaders albeit they are often unrecognised by themselves and by others.

I was recently reading an article by John C Maxwell about Leading Change and thought it important enough to share with you today.

“Leadership is about change.  If you need no change, you need no leader.  In times of change, people seek out more and better leaders.  Those successful sought-out leaders embrace the following thought: “The best reformers the world has ever known are those who began with themselves.”

Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must be the change that we envision.” Tolstoy said “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

The following comments are about personal change:

1.  One person cannot change another person

When I started as a young leader, I thought that a leader could change the people; and boy, did I work at it.  I said, “All right, I’m going to give them thoughts, ideas and principles; and I’m going to change people.”

After several years, I awakened to the thought that the only person who can change himself or herself is himself or herself.  You can change yourself, but I cannot change you.  You see, I am responsible to you but I am not responsible for you, and there is a world of difference between those two.  I am responsible for teaching you good leadership, I am responsible for sharing things that can help add value to your life; but you are the only one who can take responsibility to change yourself, and that is what this whole article is about.

2.  Most people need to look at the way that they look at change

How many times have you heard somebody say, “I sure hope things will change.” The only way things will change for me is when I change.  It has nothing to do with hope.  You can’t just say, “Well, I just hope things will change around me,” and expect results.  The only way that things will change for me is when I change.

I have also heard this before, “I don’t know why I’m this way.”  Well, you are the way you are because that is the way you want to be.  Let’s expose it for what it really is.

3.  When you make the right personal changes, other things begin to turn out right

So when people say, “I’d like things to turn out better for me, I’d like things to turn out right, I’d like things to turn out better in the organisation, or in my family,” I say to them, “Start by making personal changes.”

An interesting and thought provoking article, isn’t it?  You are where you are, because of the decisions you choose to make or not make.

I am heartened to see how over the last week or so, we have been approached by women who are taking their future into their own hands.  They have decided to be their own “Leaders of Change”.

They’ve chosen their goal and decided to get them where they need to go in the shortest possible time, they would enrol our help.

By initially completing an Extended DISC Personal Analysis, they will know their behavioural styles – both conscious and unconscious styles (one of the defining points of Extended DISC).

They have all agreed that this knowledge is priceless before embarking on their coaching sessions.  Hat’s off to you ladies – you have obviously already read Mahatma Gandhi quote “We must be the change that we envision“.

So my question to you today is, “Are you happy with where you are right now?”.