“Earth thinking or talking”. Freedigitalphotos.net.
This may sound a little bit idealistic, but when I go to my blog, my Facebook page, my Twitter account, I talk to different people from all over the world, and you see how it’s easy to establish a dialogue. (Author Paulo Coelho)
Whether you are an author aspiring to become a living legend such as Paulo Coelho, an entrepreneur looking for new clients, representing a brand or an organization/corporation – establishing dialogue and investing in communication are essential for forming partnerships, creating lasting relationships, and for success.
“The new information technology… Internet and e-mail… have practically eliminated the physical costs of communications”. (Peter Drucker)
How do you establish dialogue and communicate online (and offline)?
Are you aware of the actual potential and value of online media, social networks, and a continuously growing online business platform such as LinkedIn? LinkedIn as an online business communication and networking platform offers more than many people and professionals have realized.
As an example of this, I want to share with you my experience of collaboration with a number of business professionals from around the world – people who I approached on LinkedIn.
What started out as an endeavor to establish dialogue online, resulted in MBA Career Stories, a free online publication which you can access here:
MBA Career Stories was written in collaboration by 33 MBA´s with different career and life paths across the globe. The e-publication serves as a career guide not only for aspiring MBA´s or students in general, but offers career, and life advice for practically anyone who enjoys reading true stories.
Extracts and best advice from MBA Career Stories:
“Always take action. You can take further corrective later if needed. This keeps your business moving forward and it is something that a customer likes to see”.
“Build relationships even with your competitors, as you never know how you can help one another”.
“Always build your network and consciously keep extending your reach”.
“Continuous learning and self-development is vital in today’s work”.
“Remember that you have two ears and one mouth” (Japanese proverb)
“Remember that you have two eyes, too”!
“Don’t ask for permission to be successful! What you choose to do with your life is not based on your parents expectations, what your teachers thought you were capable of, what your husband or partner thinks you should do or even what your friends are doing with their lives. It is all about what moves and inspires you. You should never need anyone else to tell you what that is or should be”.
Authenticity, in its purest sense, is the capability of remaining true to yourself and to your values. Along with integrity, which I wrote about previously, it is one of the keys for successful leadership.
As Dr. Lance Secretan teaches:
“Authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet – thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing – consistently. This builds trust, and followers love leaders they can trust”.
Easier said than done in a world full of stimulus, temptations, where even the most truthful individuals easily get sucked into a vortex losing both their authenticity and direction. How do you know for sure that you have not lost your authenticity?
Signs of authenticity robbery (appeals both to personal behavior and behavior towards other individuals):
– Not seeing the wood for the trees
– No real purpose or direction
– Low self-worth, resulting in merely being a people-pleaser or some other form of emotional drainage in one self and in behavior towards other individuals
– Lack of creativity, copying other people´s work, and taking credit for someone else’s work
– Too high expectations upon oneself, and other people
– Fearful behavior resulting e.g. in loss of personal power and being incapable of confronting other individuals truthfully (hiding oneself, poor communication, no capability of taking/giving constructive criticism, avoiding conflicts etc.).
Being authentic is equal to being real, truthful, and having the capability to admit humanity, weaknesses, and vulnerability. Every great leader throughout history, and contemporary, has become truly successful through their capability of being authentic both towards themselves and towards others. Face the fact – you have to be authentic with yourself before having the courage to express authenticity towards other individuals. Even great artists have found their success through authenticity, including actors who master the skill to penetrate in to and to live the role of their character – without losing themselves in the process. Authenticity is also an essential ingredient in brand creation, be it that you are creating a brand out of yourself, or if branding a product.
Ways of strengthening authenticity:
Learn to master your mind. I always emphasize this, and not without reason. Quoting Remez Sasson: “Your mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master and not its slave”. Mastering one´s own mind requires continuous work, throughout life. If you do not master your own mind, someone else will.
All following points are part of the art of mastering one´s mind:
Practice consciousness, daily.
Focus on living in the present.
Increase simplicity in your life.
Be willing to let go, and to let energy flow freely.
Learn to say no, but also to take no for an answer.
Do not take anything personally.
Be prepared for an inward journey. Authenticity is within you.
Accept that you cannot change things forcefully, but rather through patience and diplomacy.
Always be open to learning from others, express gratitude, respect, and be thankful for all lessons coming your way.
Do not copy other people´s/organization´s work. Create your own. But if you still do use other people´s work, remember to refer to them/credit the individual/organization.
Have respect for people, starting with having respect for you. You are here for a reason.
Learn how to overcome your fears and transform them into positive energy.
Be yourself since everyone else is already taken (Oscar Wilde).
“At the end of the day, it is not about what you have or even what you have accomplished. It is about what you have done with those accomplishments. It is about who you have lifted up, and who you have empowered. It is about what you have given back.”
“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.”(Abraham Lincoln)
Leadership as one of the most widely discussed and debated topics is also one of the most demanding sports activities for any individual, regarding leadership as a sports activity. A leader has to be fit both mentally and physically, having the capability of combining both spurts and long-distance activities into leadership practices.
Expectations upon leaders are manifold. In today´s corporate world, leaders are often evaluated through corporate surveys and employee feedback questionnaires/ discussions, also called 360 degree feedback reviews. Politicians receive feedback through media and from voters. At least in democratic states where freedom of speech exists, where all citizens have equal possibilities, and equal human rights.
The importance of leadership is emphasized through the amount of discussion around, and research upon the topic, well-known journals and other media regularly publishing articles upon, and lists about, desired and important leadership qualities. Try to find a list of the most highly valued leadership qualities excluding INTEGRITY. Let me know if you can find one. I have not until this day.
A quick Google search with the keywords “integrity synonyms” gives the following top result:
integrity
ɪnˈtɛɡrɪti/
noun
noun: integrity
1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
internal consistency or lack of corruption in electronic data.
“integrity checking”
WHY is integrity such an important leadership quality?
Top reasons for this:
Integrity is morally and ethically correct behavior
Integrity is human
Integrity is democratic
Integrity is highly valued by all human and democratic individuals
Integrity is authentic, truthful and honest
Integrity is not just talking the talk, but also walking the walk
Integrity is a part of any individual´s moral compass, and a tool for making not only things right, but also making the right things
Integrity is an essential part of conscious, ethical leadership, preventing immoral actions such as corruption, and enhancing transparency
Leaders with integrity are more concerned with the common goal than their personal ambition
Suggested further reading:
EY – Growing Beyond: a place for integrity. 12th Global Fraud Survey.
George, B. 2007. True North. Discover your Authentic Leadership.
Transparency International. The Global Coalition Against Corruption. Publications.
“Just as a compass points toward a magnetic field, your True North pulls you toward the purpose of your leadership. When you follow your internal compass, your leadership will be authentic, and people will naturally want to associate with you. Although others may guide or influence you, your truth is derived from your life story and only you can determine what it should be.”
(True North, From the Introduction).
“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)
“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” (Martin Luther King Jr.)
“In countries where innocent people are dying, leaders are following blood rather than brains.” (Nelson Mandela)
“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” (Nelson Mandela)
An individual who practices what he/she preaches is predictable, removing emotions of threat, developing trust. showing others consistency (unknown).
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.”
(Andrew Carnegie)
My humblest thank you goes to the individual who inspired me to write this post – the one who wrote me: “It is foolish to think that one person can change the world”. In a way this person was absolutely right, because one individual out of more than 7,2 billion upon Earth can hardly change the world alone. This is the reality we are all faced with, and the realization of which is part of growing up.
However, in adulthood, many people forget how stay connected with their inner child, the one that inspires them to have faith, and believe in the impossible. Diverging ourselves from our true nature occurs due to a number of reasons, many times because of experiences on our life paths, and because many individuals face a lack of inspiration in and during their lives.
Yet, inspirational leaders often emerge out of the blue, often through challenging circumstances or when scarce resources bring forth the true qualities of an individual. How often has suffering ultimately turned into a wonderful life story? Our world is full of extraordinary transformational leaders, people who have experienced some major life changing events, allowing a deep, personal transformation develop into becoming an inspirational leader. I would like you to watch the following video, where actor and comedian Jim Carrey speaks about Spiritual Awakening, and the fact that we are all one:
Jim Carrey as a well-known actor and comedian is a great example of an inspirational leader who managed to rise above challenging circumstances, transforming these into a positive and successful career, and manifested his dreams by turning them into reality.
One leader alone not being enough to change the world is a fact, but every (aspiring) leader is aware of the power of intention together with action. World-transforming leaders are those who are brave enough to believe that they actually can change the world, not alone, but through setting an example, and inspiring others individuals into becoming world-transforming leaders as well.
World-transforming leadership starts by changing our personal thoughts, because our thoughts create our reality, and our thoughts lead to our actions, which lead to our everyday reality. Our thoughts and actions also have the power to influence other individuals, which is why it is so important to realize why thinking positive thoughts, and taking positive actions leads to increased positivity in our surroundings. We are all energy, and the energy we personally send out into the Universe radiates back into our lives.
World-transforming leaders are willing to internalize following facts:
You cannot change the world alone, but you can change yourself.
Your thoughts and actions become your reality, and the energy you radiate/send out is definitely coming back to you.
You can always set an example to other individuals, despite of your formal status.
Transformative leadership requires authenticity, self-discipline, and assertiveness.
Surround yourself with individuals with whom you resonate, people who support you and people who you support.
Express gratitude, and be thankful for all lessons in your life. Both the positive, and the less positive.
Learn to BALANCE your life. Easier said than done, but do your best! Many (aspiring) leaders work too hard, and too much, resulting in various health problems.
Remember, you are a HUMAN BEING (a spiritual being in a human body), not a HUMAN DOING (a spiritual doing in a human body). As energetic as you may be, no smart leader does everything alone. Smart leaders take care of themselves both physically and mentally, because a smart leader realizes that GOOD PHYSICAL & MENTAL HEALTH lead to better results in the long run. It is not egoistic to take care of yourself. It is essential, because people around you do sense your energy. If you are about to lead and transform the world by involving other individuals, you need to be in balance with yourself first.
Learn to TRANSFORM challenging situations into POSITIVE outcomes. Let the energy flow freely. Your positive energy radiates onto, and into, other individuals as well.
Finally, I am happy to share with you some quotes about CHANGING THE WORLD:
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world”.
(Harriet Tubman)
“January Sky”. Photo: Anne-Maria Yritys. 2015).
“Don’t underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global movement, you need to have a core belief that what you contribute can fundamentally change the paradigm or way of thinking about problems”.
(Leroy Hood)
“If Changing the World Signifies Being Foolish, Then I am More Than Happy to be a Fool”
Anne-Maria Yritys 
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