What do you believe?

Zen.

When I did a book search on Amazon using the word “leadership,” there were more than 50,000 results. I was kind of surprised, however; I thought there’d be more. As many of you know, we at Emergent immerse ourselves (and maybe sometimes too much so) in reading – but with very positive and helpful intentions. (In fact, we’re putting the finishing touches on what will surely be a top hit song called “Leaders are Readers” – corny, but we love it.)  We are committed to raising the consciousness of all leaders, and as such, are also committed to being a resource to those we serve by sharing knowledge, concepts, and new ideas.

A client recently asked me what I believe about leadership – not what I know, but what I believe. I had to pause for a minute to really think about this question, and then it flowed out of me like a great big exhale. My beliefs about strong, positive leadership:

  • Inspirational leadership is the greatest gift one could give to others.
  • Leading is failing, being wrong, making mistakes. Keep going!
  • Leading and following happen simultaneously.
  • Leadership is a way of being – and a choice.
  • We must be leaders of ourselves first before leading others, teams, and organizations effectively.
  • Leadership is a physical activity -> rigorous soul, big open heart, focused mind, peaceful & deep breath.
  • Choosing to lead is choosing to make a difference in the world.
  • Leaders do not have all the answers, and they are confident the answers will be revealed (most likely by others).
  • Adaptability: required and necessary. Leading can’t happen without it.

Illuminating those beliefs inspired a bigger question: Do you know what you believe? Because if you desire to be a great leader, an emergent leader, a transformational leader, you must decide what you believe. What you believe affects what you achieve. And while someone else famous said that, I absolutely believe it to be true.

Share your beliefs with me @ cindy@getemergent.com.

Keep leading!

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