In the summer I wrote to you about my leadership journey through conferences and experiences in multiple cities with a great need to understand the awe-happenings that were creating the reflective clarity for me. I have one last event this year that allowed me to put in place the Fascinating Leadership questions to ask yourself, remember these four questions:
- In the last week of work what fascinated me about a demonstrated leadership action I observed?
- In the leadership duties I have accomplished this week, am I fascinated by what I did and/or what I will be doing?
- Did I have any positive or negative A-HA moments in my leadership work or another leader’s work, and what did I learn from the A-HA?
- What do I know from the last few weeks of leadership work that let me know I inspired others and/or I was awe-inspired by another’s actions or events?
I attended the International Leadership Association (ILA) Global Conference in Chicago the first week of November. My flight took off Wednesday morning post-election day. The airport, the flights, the hotel lobby and staff all seemed to be in a heavy, reflective mode. Tentatively approaching to say greetings to one another or just quietly staying to oneself seemed to be the approach of the day whether on the ground or in the air. However, that feeling finally broke for me as a hotel attendant saw me struggling with my bags to get something to eat before the hotel café closed, as I arrived after 10pm CST. She singularly made me put my bags close to her station so I could go register and get food, rounded someone up to help me get my bags to my room and then called to check on me before I fell into my comfort zone. Now I know most people would not call her actions leadership, she was just doing her job in helping a weary traveler. However, let’s look at this in relation to answering Questions #1 and #4
Question #1 –
This hotel attendant’s role was to secure the lobby and only allow holders of a room key to enter that area – she had no responsibility for getting me to the registrar counter or to the café counter and she did not need to find someone to help me. Her leadership actions were:
- Observing a problem
- Creating a solution
- Gathering appropriate team members to support
- Communicating all of what was needed to be done without it appearing to be a
bother to her. - Following-up to determine and evaluate that her decisions had solved the problem in a positive manner.
I will tell you I was floored by the follow-up check call she made to ensure I was safe and resting in her hotel. Additional leadership traits demonstrated by someone with no leadership formal title – ownership of her organization’s philosophy and holding herself accountable.
Let’s Look at Question #4 –
I was awe-inspired by multiple events as this conference – but the two I will mention are:
- The actions of the hotel attendant, and
- The standing room only of the panelist group I was on for our DEIA&B presentation.
Hotel Attendant: I can add more about the hotel attendant’s attitude and actions that keep her as a fascinating leader in my book, however I will just add that the next evening she was once again at her station. She wholeheartedly greeted me, asked me if I needed anything, called me by my name, and wished me a good evening as I headed to my room from a full conference day. By then, multiple people and faces had gone in and out of the area, and she still demonstrated:
- Active observations – Remembering me!
- Making connections and eye contact.
- Ensuring not just me, but others around me and with me were greeted.
- Created an environment of welcome and comfort, stability and security.
Standing Room Only: What was memorable about this moment are almost to numerous to list, however the most impactful for me were:
- Meeting two more exceptional leaders, who helped me feel like I belonged in their esteemed world.
#DrWendyEdmonds and #DavittaEaly - Our responses to the questions came with fresh inspirations and resilience without any practice – our preparation was our life and work experiences and willingly promoting each other’s positive attitudes for the way forward.
- Our moderator was kind, firm, organized, and gave everyone the opportunity to feel included, even those standing in the hallway listening to the panelists and the audience’s discussion.
- Conference attendees arrived early, and many stayed later to have their questions answered.
- Connections with new colleagues and long-time colleagues gave the panelists strength, support, and an accumulative force to present honestly and openly about the challenges ahead and the opportunities to gain.
I found my new colleagues – the other two panelists, the moderator, and the audience to be awe-inspiring to me. This was a tough subject, that could have evolved into a no-way out discussion. However it moved quickly into discussions of rising above the fray, ways to demonstrate positive outcomes, solutions through reinvention and insightfulness, and acknowledging that the road ahead is difficult and with collective efforts is more likely to succeed than without. All fascinating leadership traits were demonstrated throughout the sessions and the conference-at-large.
It is through asking good, deeply, thought-out and thought-provoking questions that can assist a leader in viewing what’s happening around them, what they are doing, and what others are doing that create moments of reflective clarity.
Leadership today is not a one great man theory of practice, and it is also not the formal title of being a leader. One of the bites of information from my days of working on my doctorate at #CreightonUniversity was the philosophy that every man and woman is a leader. Indicating to me that leadership is within everyone and from a Creighton University viewpoint – a more heroic leadership than great man. As an individual, if you stand and actively engage in an evolving situation where you support, guide, assist, and find solutions for the majority you are a leader. Then it is your actions to collectively collaborate for the good of all that instills a great and fascinating leader.
The hotel attendant, the panelists, the moderator, and the session audience are great leaders in my fascinating and awe-inspiring leadership view, as they listen-in-kind, communicate with purpose and thoughtfulness, act intentionally, and have pervasive ingenuity and resilience. All while being of diverse genders, races, ethnicities, cultures, experiences, education, and beliefs.
As we go quickly into the holiday season, let us remember to think before we act, support positively when we can, evolve beyond our staid thinking, and resolve to give each other and ourselves grace.
I am ending this year’s Leadership Journeys with a quote from one of my favorite poets, Maya Angelou, because in this quote fascination is celebrated as a way to overcome, inspire and give grace:
The idea of overcoming is always fascinating to me. It’s fascinating because few of us realize how much energy we have expended just to be here today. I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for the overcoming.
At StellaVersed Consulting Firm, LLC we look forward to gratefulness, thoughtfulness, blessings, laughter, fun-spirited, and the sharing of timeless experiences with family and friends this holiday season.
Wishing Everyone a Soulful Season of Joy!
StellaVersed Consulting Firm, LLC has specialty leadership education, development, and training programs for your organization. All of our LEPs can be customized to achieve the most optimal learning modules and educational materials to assist you and your organizational leaders in creating learning environments where leaders can grow and thrive. Contact us at StellaVersed Consulting Firm, LLC to learn more about our Leadership Education Programs.