Personal Responsibility: Bloom Where You're Planted
Inspirational Leaders Make The Most Of Any Situation
Most of my clients would like to be more inspirational leaders. If this is also true of you, you have to start by being inspired. And I was reminded this morning that good population are often inspired to their best possible in life by learning to "bloom where they're planted."
These folks live the old expression "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." No matter how thoughprovoking the circumstances in which they find themselves, they roll their sleeves up and go about manufacture the best of things. And they tend to make their accomplishments look easier than they genuinely are. Straight through such experiences, they learn that no obstacles can finally defeat them. They learn that, unless they quit trying, they will at last effect no matter what lemons life gives them.
And that's inspiring.
Some of my clients who want to make inspirational leadership struggle with the concept that this would help them. This is mostly true of the clients who are leaders now, but want to come to be more inspirational for their teams. Why? Because their concept of leadership is often laden with expectations nearby strength (and the avoidance of any appearance of weakness). They challenge: "Wouldn't a real inspirational leader refuse to accept lemons? Wouldn't they find a way to change their circumstances?"
This is a itsybitsy short sighted. First, you can't always change the game. You sometimes just find yourself in tough circumstances. The distinction in the middle of inspirational leaders and mere managers is not what each sees in their circumstances, but what each sees in themselves.
There are two types of population (in fact, both types are inside each of us, and we have to constantly choose which we will favor). One is the Entrepreneur, who takes risks, takes initiative, takes care of business, and often takes care of practically everybody nearby her. The other is the Victim, who avoids taking chances, avoids taking responsibility, blames others, and often needs to be taken care of by the very population he blames for his failures. Only an Entrepreneur can be an inspirational leader.
And the Entrepreneur blooms where she's planted. She knows it would be a waste of time and energy to blame circumstances or even to try to change the game. Instead, she learns the game, and plays it to win. She sees in herself the potential and the will to overcome anyone challenges the game throws her way.
That's why it's easier for an inspired man to come to be an inspirational leader than it is for a leader who already has the title but lacks the potential to inspire others. Why? Because from all the tough lessons life's given her, the Entrepreneur has taken personal inspiration. She's inspired, so she's inspiring. And population will effect her for the inspiration she gives them, and that makes her a real leader, title or none. The mere boss has probably missed some of those lessons in life, too distracted by his efforts to blame circumstances and change the rules of the game to his advantage.
You hear examples of these two types every day, all nearby you. The Victim complains about layoffs and office politics; the Entrepreneur doesn't try to change the enterprise or gripe about the economy, but insteads learns how to start and grow a home enterprise as a hedge against the recession. The Victim grouses about the global economic and political wreckage nearby us these days; the Entrepreneur educates herself so she can be prepared to profit from the arrival storm when others might lose everything. The Victim complains about things like the government takeover of health care; the Entrepreneur develops great health habits so she can be less dependent on health care in the first place.
Strength is admirable, and it's a good leadership trait. potential to change the game, even to take shortcuts, can be perfect management. But at a sure point, only an inspired man can genuinely inspire others to their best. Sometimes it's best to learn to make the best of a tough situation than to frame out ways nearby it.
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