“What if today, we were just grateful for everything”?
(Charlie Brown)
Here’s to a great day for everyone who reads this! Hope you take time to enjoy your family, friends, and great food.
Continue to Walk into the Future!
Calvin
“Be present in all things and thankful for all things”.
(Maya Angelou)
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most”.
(Buddha)
Merriam-Webster defines resilience as an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.
Happy to report there has not been any misfortune for me, but the change has been an adjustment to my training regimen. I am still putting in work but not able to get the same quality sessions I put in pre-COVID. This can be directly attributed to my work role in Fort Pierce but please do not think I am complaining.
We have made some major operational improvements and there is light at the end of the tunnel where we will soon normalize operations and I can get back to putting in more training miles.
The concept of resiliency reminds me of the old saying: try and then try again!
Decided to use shorter races as a bigger part of my training program to get me prepared for the rigors of the half marathon distance. I have the 2021 Rock N Roll Savannah half marathon in November and the 2021 Track Shack OUC half marathon in December. My overall goal is to run a half marathon under 2 hours and the Track Shack OUC half marathon is the ideal setup to make this happen. I need to put in additional training miles to build my endurance back to my 2019 levels.
My fastest half marathon was the 2019 Track Shack OUC half marathon with a time of 2:05:51 (two hours, five minutes, and 51 seconds). 2020 was set to be my fastest year ever but of course COVID-19 shut down racing and my training lagged—that’s on me! 😊
So, what’s my plan to correct my training and speed issues? Well, I check multiple running clubs to see what races are being offered locally and within driving distance to me in Fort Pierce.
I routinely scan the Fleet Feet Stuart and Orlando Track Shack events pages to determine which races are available to help with my training program. I just shared with my best friend I have a hard time training with race pace—it is a mental thing for me since I do not have competitors or anyone to pace with. I am sure I may be the only active running with this issue but targeting real races seems to get my competitive nature going. This may not be the ideal strategy, but I will try this out to get me closer to my half marathon goal.
Made my way back over to Orlando for the 2021 Track U Can Finish 5 Mile race to get some speed work in. I ran this same event when I lived in Oviedo, but this is the first time I tackled the race distance in 8 years.
This is an interesting event because it has multiple distances available for runners to try. The first event is the U Can Finish 2 Mile race and Track Shack has a distance dare. Runners can sign up to run the 2-mile race and then compete in the 5-mile race right after. The hook for distance dare runners is the opportunity to collect 3 medals: 2-mile, 5-mile, and distance dare medals. Runners love their bling and a lot of them took part in the distance dare. I did not—officially. 😊
Did something new on race day to ensure I got in extra training miles. I stay in the same hotel each time I visit the Orlando area and it is down the street from the UCF campus.
I decided to leave my vehicle parked at the hotel and ran the 2-mile distance to the UCF campus for the start of the 5-mile race. Figured this was a great way to warmup and stretch my legs before my race and ensured I would get in a long training session—it was just broken up into segments.
Toed the line for the 5-mile race completely warmed up and excited to run on the UCF campus again. The race village was setup directly in front of the Career Services building where I worked for 4-years prior to moving to Tallahassee and the FSU Career Center. Great being back on the old stomping grounds. 😊
My goal for the 5-mile race was simply to test my endurance and consistently run miles splits with a 9 on the front of them (9:05, 9:10, etc.). Mission accomplished.
The UCF campus is completely flat which helped a lot. Went out with the intent to run my race based on feel and then push myself when I could.
Mile-1 went by at an 8:44 per minute pace and I felt good with the effort. Mile-2 through 5 were: 9:15, 9:33, 9:57, 9:42 which got me to the finish line at 47:29. Targeted 45 flat but happy with my results considering I put in a 2-mile run before my race.
Collected my 5-mile medal and took some pictures to commemorate the race and my time back at UCF. Got some refreshments and stretched a bit before heading out. I tucked my race medal away and began my 2-mile journey back to my hotel—yes, I ran back for a total of 9 training miles for the day. Felt great every step of the day!
I will look for additional races to help me prepare for my next two half marathons. Still have some speed in these legs, just need to release it in my unique way.
FYI—I am still on pace to meet my 2021 goals of 1,000 training miles. Imagine my mileage if I could stay consistent with my training.
Irie!
How do you display resilience in your daily activities? Thanks!
“Life does not get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient”.
(Steve Maraboli)
“Every pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard and believe in yourself”.
(Bill Murray)
Raise your hand if you do not like pizza! Doubt there are many hands up right now since everyone loves pizza. 😊
I admit I enjoy pizza probably more than anyone I know and have decided this is my go-to cheat meal. I have never been one to count calories and my running program allows me to indulge without having to worry much about gaining weight. Not saying this as a brag point but just a daily fact for me.
The Treasure Coast provides me with multiple dining options to include fresh seafood and great ocean views while out for a meal. I take advantage of these options, but my designated pizza night is one I look forward to weekly.
I was introduced to 2nd Street Bistro as a great place to catch a ballgame while enjoying a beer at the bar. Seemed like a typical place to get wings, drink a beer, and watch Florida Gator football on Saturdays. Happy to report 2nd Street Bistro provides all these things but it turns out they have a fantastic menu with rotating daily specials. It is not your typical dive bar but a place to get a great meal for really good prices. Note: they provide a substantial military discount on all menu items, so I am hooked since I love saving money. 😊
I made my first weekday journey into 2nd Street Bistro on a random Wednesday after work because I wanted to get a beer and see what was on the menu. I did not venture out a lot in 2020 due to COVID but kept hearing about this place and the food. Made my way downtown Fort Pierce once I felt comfortable being around people again and grabbed a high-top table to enjoy a meal.
Turns out Wednesday is half price Bistro Burger night and there are a lot of fans of the burger. There is always a good crowd of folks in the restaurant to take advantage of the special and get their burgers. The menu has a lot of variety and everyone in there has a favorite menu item.
I did not have a specific food item in mind when I stopped in on the first Wednesday night so I asked the waitress what she recommended. She rattled off that everything on the menu is great, so I was on my own selecting what I wanted for dinner.
Gravitated to the pizza selections and the waitress said they were all good—she’s tried them all. Decided to go with my tried-and-true Pepperoni pizza with extra Pepperoni. Never imagined a place like 2nd Street Bistro would have pizza this good but I am hooked.
The personal pizzas are made once ordered so it takes a bit for it to make it to the table. Trust me, it is well worth the wait. The ingredients are fresh, and the pizza comes out of the oven smoking hot. Learned that lesson the hard way the first time I got a pizza. 😊
I have been hooked on the Pepperoni pizza from day one and Wednesdays have become my official pizza night. Everyone who knows me can track my location after work on Wednesdays to 2nd Street Bistro. I am such a regular there the hostess takes me directly to a high-top table and the waitress does not bring me a menu. She puts in my Bud Light draft and a personal Pepperoni pizza with extra Pepperoni. I told her one day I am going to change my order up to mess with her but one day has not happened yet.
I have tried other items on the menu but not on Wednesdays—that is my designated pizza night since I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work. Figure I earned a cheat day and 2nd Street Bistro helps me cheat like a champ! 😊
Can’t wait for my next pizza night!
What is your favorite place to get a cheat meal? What is the meal? Thanks!
“I’d rather have leftover pizza than leftover feelings”.
(Sarah Burgess)
“I want to run the beach’s length, because it never ends”.
(Deborah Ager)
The quote above makes me laugh because it could not have been written by someone who runs. The beach is a wonderful place to get in some training but there are challenges and rewards to running on the beach.
I am always looking for a training edge to allow me to run at a faster pace. My goal to set a personal record (PR) for every half marathon I run stays true—that is the goal every time out.
I ran the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll half marathon in early September to get back into the swing of being a running tourist and to test my training against other runners. I am happy to toe the start line again but want to see improvement each time I finish a race. Decided to find a new training method to help me get better daily and work towards improving my half marathon times.
I was able to increase my endurance by running the rolling hills in Tallahassee when I lived there. Did not realize how much hill training helped my ability to run faster until I relocated to Fort Pierce which is completely flat. Running on flat surfaces is better than nothing but it is hard to replicate the intensity needed to get up and over rolling hills.
A majority of my Fort Pierce runs are done close to the beach on Ocean Drive. I enjoy the views on this route and feel safe since I do not have to cross traffic. I am parallel to the beach when running and make pit stops to catch views and listen to the waves. Example: I run 2.5 miles on Ocean drive and then sit on the beach for a bit before running back 2.5 miles. Some of my best Instagram pictures come from the middle part of my run. 😊
This process and route have worked well for me but wanted to find a new way to train since I do not have hills to climb.
Decided to leverage the beach and start running directly in the sand. This is not a novel approach but one I have not maximized since I moved here. I have run on Jacksonville Beach, but it has a flat surface without awkward inclines. Most beaches in Florida have an incline which puts pressure on one side of the body. The Fort Pierce beaches have this incline closer to the water but provides a flatter surface further away from the water. I used this part of the beach to build my mental and physical endurance.
My goal for the beach runs is to slowly increase my distance each time out as I establish a new training threshold. Running in the sand creates unstable footing and makes the body adjust to continue to move forward. This process brings in muscles that are not used with traditional running and strengthens them. The sand on the beach moves with each step and forces the body to adjust. Going fast is not the object of the training sessions—building endurance and mental focus are the top outcomes of running on the beach.
My initial foray on the beach allowed me to finish a 2.5-mile run. I extend my beach runs an additional .5 miles each time I go out with an end goal of 5 miles completely in the sand.
The benefits of this training approach will pay off when I tackle the Savannah Rock N Roll half marathon in November. I plan to run faster in Savannah with an end goal of setting another PR at the Orlando OUC Half Marathon in December. The flat surface should be conducive to running fast. Who’s going to join me in Orlando?! 😊
What new techniques have you incorporated into your training program?
“When I run on the beach, it is always in slow motion. That’s how I roll”.
(Amber Heard)
“Remember, the second most important thing to choosing the right shoe is choosing the left one”.
(Unknown)
Decided to exercise one of my 2020 race credits for the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon over the Labor Day weekend. I targeted this race in 2020 before COVID-19 shut down running but never got a chance to explore Virginia Beach.
I have traveled to the state of Virginia before, but it was in the Washington D. C. area—never the coast. Starting and finishing a race on the Virginia Beach boardwalk was an appealing draw for me and wanted to explore the area as a running tourist.
Happy to report the race, festivities and weather were fantastic and I enjoyed my adventure.
I have been training but knew my current regimen was not where it needs to be to run a Personal Record (PR). Most folks know I am always chasing my next PR, but it appears I am getting wiser with my mental focus. My goal for Virginia Beach was to take a measured approach to the race and then determine how fast my pace would be for the rest of the race.
Booked an early Southwest airlines flight out of Orlando to get to my race destination. This was my first plane ride since my Rock N Roll half marathon and cheesesteak adventures in Philadelphia back in 2019. I did not know how I would react to being back on a plane but felt safe since everyone in the airport and on the plane wore their masks. I have seen horror stories on the news about people not wearing masks but did not experience this at all.
Settled into my exit row seat with extra leg room and enjoyed the two-hour flight to Virginia. This was a perfect opportunity for me to catch up on my reading. I currently have two books going—Eat that Frog and Start With Why. Both books speak to my current work situation, so I bounce back and forth between the books. May need to just finish one so I can tackle the other one with more energy—we will see!
The flight to Virginia Beach was uneventful—nothing special happened but was excited to finally arrive to get the adventure started.
Hotels close to the race venture were booked or too expensive for my taste. Ended up staying in Chesapeake, Virginia which is close to a lot of shopping and entertainment. Made the most of this fact and did some light window shopping and got a pedicure. Nothing like having your feet rubbed prior to pounding the pavement for 13.1 miles. 😊 Completed my carb loading process with extra pasta at The Olive Garden and made sure to drink extra water.
The weather was projected to be hotter than normal so drinking water was necessary to stay hydrated.
EXPO
The Rock N Roll EXPOs are always a highlight of the weekend. The excitement of being so close to race day puts a smile on the face of most runners. I was happy to be back around runners again and experiencing a new city. The Virginia Beach Rock N Roll EXPO was light on merchandise and vendors—believe this is because 2021 was the 20th Anniversary of this race and also the last year for the event.
The Virginia Beach city leaders decided they did not want to host the race anymore and wanted to leverage the Labor Day holiday weekend for other activities. There were vendors available but not as many as I am used to for the Rock N Roll series. I made sure to shop and buy a new set of leg compression sleeves since they were marked down 50%–got a pair of white CHEP compression sleeves. I am sure you will see picture of me rocking them soon. 😊
Boardwalk
Made my way over to the boardwalk after the EXPO to get a taste of Virginia Beach. Got a chance to take some pictures at the King Neptune statue that sits right on the boardwalk. King Neptune is popular with running tourists so had to ensure I got the photo. The beach was crowded—this could be because it was Labor Day weekend, and the local schools start the following week. There were a ton of families on the beach enjoying the sun, surf, and weather. Decided to find a spot to get a drink and food.
Found Catch 31 right on the boardwalk and pulled up at the outdoor bar to enjoy the beach and the view. Ordered crab cake and beer so I could people watch and enjoy college football on the TVs. This was a popular place, and everyone was friendly—I would recommend visiting Catch 31 if you are in the Virginia Beach area.
Race
Left Catch 31 with the intent to get to bed early so I could get up the next day to run the half marathon. I hit the bed to get my rest and get off my feet. I always set my race outfit out the night before since this makes life easier on race day. Decided to rep the Orlando Track Shack running club again during this race. My Track Shack race shirts always get attention from other runners and give us something to talk about before the race.
The race start was staggered to ensure we maintained a safe distance prior to crossing the start line. I was assigned Corral #4 again based on my projected finish time. Happy to report my start position has improved over the years which means I am running faster than most of the runners in each race. 😊
My goal was to run a steady pace, enjoy the process and not hurt myself by trying to do too much. Mission accomplished! The race started one block over from the beach and we made our way to the boardwalk within the first mile. It was great running next to the beach with a nice sunrise coming up over the water.
The course brought us back onto the main drag and then we headed south through neighborhoods for most of the race. My plan is always to run to each water stop and then walk through them when I get water or Gatorade. I take off running again and head towards the next water stop. This approach has allowed me to complete multiple races and set PRs in the process.
I ran with a smile on my face for the first 8 miles then my quads and hamstring started to scream at me. Again, I have been running but not putting in the correct number of miles to build the lactic acid threshold needed for a half marathon. I knew this coming into the race, but it never seems to help when your legs are burning—you just keep moving forward. I continued my game plan even with the pain, but I was not moving very fast.
Mile 10 is where I decided trying to run a PR was not happening so slowed my pace to enjoy the rest of the race. Luckily for me I decided a PR was not worth the pain—Mile 11 is where runners faced the problem of running up a steep bridge to get closer to the finish line. Most of us let out an audible ‘Holy Crap’ when we saw the bridge and the knowledge we had to get up and over to finish the race. My pace slowed down even more while making my way over the bridge. The downhill portion was great and led us back to the boardwalk to finish the race. There were race spectators along the boardwalk and they cheered us to the finish line.
Very happy and proud to finish this race considering my training program was subpar—I can improve and will put more effort into my preparation.
Realm Brewery
The reward for completing the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon was a trip to New Realm Brewery. This spot was highly recommended and did not disappoint. Realm Brewery is an open air and inside sitting establishment. The outside sitting is covered and there is plenty room to social distance while enjoying food and drink. I got the Acai and Blueberry Seltzer and New Realm Burger which was outstanding. There was live music in the afternoon and the environment was fantastic. They did not have TVs outside to watch football but that is a small thing considering how great this place is. Yes, I will visit again when I am back in the Virginia Beach area.
Unfortunately, the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon will not be run again. Great location, course, and entertainment in the area—guess I will have to explore other Rock N Roll locations to continue this running tourist program. 😊
Savannah is next on the list!
“If found on the ground, drag to the finish line”.
(From a runner’s t-shirt)
(Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay)
“There is no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated”.
(Richard Branson)
Psychology Today identifies intellectual curiosity as a deep and persistent desire to know.
Betterup.com dives deeper by defining intellectual curiosity as curiosity that leads to an acquisition of general knowledge.
At this point I am sure you are wondering where I am headed with intellectual curiosity. Glad you asked! 😊
This has become a major characteristic I look for when working with others. I was never able to find the exact term until recently but intellectual curiosity in the workplace provides a foundation for success.
Interestingly, this is not something everyone is able to display easily. I see people who practice this trait when something is near and dear to them on a personal or professional level. The key for me is for everyone to translate intellectual curiosity daily in the workplace.
Why you ask? Great question!
People who display intellectual curiosity can find new ways to get things done. There are multiple work environments where the mindset is we have always done it that way. This may be true but organizations and people who cannot evolve are doomed to fail. It may take time for the demise, but it will happen.
Intellectually curious people understand how things are done and continue to look for ways to improve the process daily. I love being surrounded by these type people because they understand the concept of moving forward. Processes and techniques change daily, and organizations need to be able to pivot. Pivots and adjustments are needed quicker as we introduce more technology into the workplace.
COVID-19 allowed intellectually curious people and organizations to make the necessary adjustments to ensure services were provided. Most of my work colleagues had never heard of Zoom prior to the pandemic. Turns out the Zoom platform in the hands of intellectually curious organizations increased the ability to provide services and made meetings more efficient. Staff did not lose time driving or walking to meetings anymore—they simply logged into their computers and joined the meetings via their laptops.
I never imagined university career fairs could be done completely online. Intellectual curiosity has allowed people in my career field to find more efficient ways to connect students and employers. There are some organizations that have been slow to adapt to the changing world and they are rapidly being left behind.
I challenge staff to become intellectually curious daily. This is the only way to ensure an organization has a growth mindset. The way we did business two years ago is not coming back so organizations need the ability to adapt, grow and move forward.
I propose organizations staffed with people with intellectual curiosity will thrive—those without will slowly fade away.
How do you display intellectual curiosity? I welcome your thoughts!
“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding an answer”.
(Denis Waitley)
“Someone who is busier than you is running right now”.
(Nike)
The quote above speaks to me on multiple levels. There is always something happening in our daily lives and skipping a training run can become a habit.
I continue to look for ways to motivate myself to stay consistent with my training. It would be easy to blame COVID-19 since the racing world and protocols have changed. Again, that would be an excuse because we do not need a start or finish line to get a run in. My goal for the rest of the year is to maintain training consistency and get out and run.
I have written previously that running is my therapy. Running gives me an opportunity to clear my head and gather my thoughts after a long work week. This sport also helps me maintain a healthy body weight while I continue to eat without counting calories.
Decided to find a start line and signed up for the Track Shack Celebration of Running 5k. This race served two purposes: helped me determine my fitness level and got to shop in a great city.
I ran this race multiple times when I lived in Oviedo, so it was an easy decision to get over to Winter Park for another Track Shack race. I did not get in town early enough to visit Track Shack, so I do not have an in-store shopping experience to share this time. I am pretty sure I own every color of the Track Shack training shirts—will add more to the wardrobe in the future. 😊
Got off work early on Friday afternoon and drove over to Oviedo. I normally get into a race town early the day prior, but this was a 5k and I did not need the extra prep time. Guess that’s what real runners say when they show up not knowing how well they will run the next day. My goal was to toe the line and run with enough intensity to determine what I needed to do to complete my half marathon training.
Happy to report physical distancing at races is still a thing. People were respectful of spacing and did not crowd together at the start line. Made my way to the 8 minute per mile area with the intent to avoid the crowds behind me and minimize bumping into other runners. I recognized quite a few runners from my days living in Oviedo. I smiled when a few of them recognized me too—guess runners never forget! 😊
I started with a controlled pace to ease into the race and to determine if there were any runners I wanted to pace with. Orlando has a great running community and there were several runners available to tag along with during this race. Somehow, I did not get my music playlist set prior to the race and ended up running without music. This is not normal for me during races or training so had to create my own rhythm listening to my breathing and feet pounding the ground. Not as interesting as bobbing my head to T.I.’s Motivation. I will have my music situation corrected before heading to Virginia Beach for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon.
My miles splits: Mile 1: 8:45 / Mile 2: 9:20 / Mile 3: 9:40 / Mile .1 / .59 = 9:13 pace.
Not bad for a training run. Decided not to push too hard and enjoy stretching my legs while getting in some extra road work.
Laughed a few times during the race when several Orlando runners complained about the HILLS on the course. I have experienced the Tallahassee and Nashville hills during training and races—the Orlando hills were simply sidewalk inclines. I did not even break strides to get up those big, bad hills the Orlando folks dreaded. I had to control myself and not give folks a hard time for walking up these very small inclines—guess hills are subjective to runners.
Crossed the finish line with a smile on my face and gas left in my tank. Made it over to the vendors and got pizza as an after-race snack. Yes, runners eat horribly once the race is over.
Happy with my efforts during the Celebration of Running 5k. Will continue to work on my conditioning as I prep for my visit to Virginia Beach in September. My goal is to enjoy the course and my time on the beach. I do not have a goal time for this race but will finish and enjoy the grind.
I’m sure I will have an article to discuss my race weekend! 😊
Irie!
“Long distance running is 90% mental, and the other half is physical”.
(Rich Davis)
“Self-awareness is the golden key to making life changing decisions and sticking to them”.
(Dr. Prem Jagyasi)
Dictionary.com defines self-awareness as conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.
Sounds simple enough but I like to explore self-awareness more when I conduct teambuilding exercises. Self-awareness is needed within the work environment and impacts how well the team functions. We all bring different things into the work environment daily and need to understand how and what these things are. I routinely ask the following question when I start the teambuilding process:
Who are you?
Take 2 minutes and ask yourself the question Who are you? multiple times. Record each of your responses. My examples to this exercise are:
Now it is your turn—answer the question and record your responses—I will wait! 😊
How many responses did you list to the question?
The answers may surprise people you work with and maybe yourself. There is not a right or wrong way to supply responses to the question. The major point is everything you listed enters the work environment with you daily.
This is an important point as we build teams and help staff members get to know others on the team. I have used this teambuilding exercise multiple times to enhance the work environment and help with team growth.
The point of this process is to allow team members to fully understand what they bring to work. It also shows a new level of self-awareness and how we interact with others. This exercise enhances team awareness and shows everyone they have more in common than they thought.
True leaders can use this data to ensure they treat staff members as individuals and not let their self-awareness impact how they treat others.
Example: I do not have kids–this should not impact how I deal with a parent who needs to leave work early because of a sick child. Some people in leadership positions make decisions based on their worldview only. This is a horrible way to lead a team.
Authentic leaders understand how they are viewed and the impact this has on the team. Self-aware leaders create more self-aware leaders.
So, I ask again—who are you? How does this level of self-awareness impact your daily interactions?
“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself”.
(Abraham Maslow)
My how the time flies
When you look back and wonder
How did we get here?
When did that happen?
The promise that was promised
Had diminished over time
And left the wonder of why
And can the path be adjusted
To fulfill the destiny of the wonder
That was first wondered by me
(Image by Devanath from Pixabay)
“Authentic leadership is revealed in the alignment of what you think, what you say, and what you do”.
(Michael Holland)
Authentic Leadership continues to be a driving force in my daily interactions. Amazing how I stumbled across this leadership style during my dissertation process back in 2013 but it is something I genuinely believe makes a difference in the work environment.
I am also amazed by the number of folks who only know about this leadership style after talking with me or sitting in one of my presentations. Looks like I need to do a better job of spreading the benefits of Authentic Leadership. 😊
I was asked back in January if I would be willing to be the guest speaker for the local Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) monthly professional development program. Inspiration Man was quick to say yes, and the topic they requested was Authentic Leadership. I had to dust off my files but thought this was an excellent opportunity to share Authentic Leadership with colleagues at my new school.
This was one of the first time I was able to stand in front of a group of people since early 2020 due to COVID-19. I was excited to be in front of live folks again in my efforts to move the crowd.
I started the presentation with a brief introduction to Authentic Leadership and the benefits it brings to the work environment.
Authentic Leadership is rooted in positive psychology and allows leaders to improve their self-awareness and regulated behaviors. The importance of self-awareness becomes more evident daily as I interact with others.
All Authentic Leadership variables are important but none of the others come into play if a leader is not self-aware. This was a major feature of my presentation to my AFC colleagues. There were several head nods when I made this point and a couple folks asked if they could expand on how self-awareness helps them daily.
The four variables were shared: self-awareness, relational transparency, internalized moral perspective and balanced processing. The variables were highlighted together as a quick overview and then I did a complete breakdown to show how each enhances the work environment.
I spent extra time on balanced processing because I want to train new leaders to understand how important this is in the work environment. Staff will speak up with new ideas IF they believe input is wanted and will be acted on (as applicable). Leaders who want input from staff need to let them know they are willing to listen but there are times when something truly cannot be done. Nothing wrong with this because it enhances relational transparency in the work environment.
The AFC members had a lot of questions about Authentic Leadership and how they can improve their self-awareness. I am happy with the dialogue we started during the AFC event and look forward to sharing Authentic Leadership with other organizations soon. Got a couple requests to bring my presentation into departmental meetings and I will say YES when the invites come in. 😊
How has your Authentic Leadership knowledge grown?
“The power for authentic leadership is found not in external arrangements, but in the human heart”.
(Parker J. Palmer)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/12/what-is-authentic-leadership/?sh=6f7ed67fdef7
Walk Into the Future 