Leadership Challenge

You Can't Do It Alone

The Truth About Leadership shares what we believe to be the 10 fundamental truths of leadership. In a recent interview, Jim was asked which one of these ten truths resonated the most for him.

"The truth that you can't do it alone. No leader ever got anything extraordinary done without the talent and support of others. We need others and they need us. We're all in this together. We have to be sensitive to the needs of others, listen, ask questions, develop others, provide support, and ask for help. We are reminded of this every day as we work on our books. We're reminded of it not only by the leaders who share their stories with us, but also by the fact that we've been working collaboratively for nearly 30 years with each other and our publishers. We could never have done what we've done without the caring support and involvement of so many other people. We are so grateful to be part of an extraordinary community."

We've recently experienced connectedness and community in two ways. First, notice the badge to the left. The Leadership Challenge blog was named one of the Human Capital Institute's (HCI) Top 50 Leadership Blogs for 2011. We are honored, and share this award with you -- our contributors, readers and supporters. Thank you for sharing your talents with our community.

The second way is through our increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The power of networking is achieved by moving conversations beyond tweets, posts and updates to truly engage in dialogue with friends, followers and fans. Yes, it takes time to respond, comment and retweet - and it is time well-spent. As Barry says, "That's why the book's title is not The Leadership Cake Walk."

Social media, when fully utilized, is not about individuals. It's about building and nurturing relationships that extend far beyond 140 characters. Leadership and learning communities start and grow exponentially. Followers become true friends. Resources are shared, and we mutually benefit from the talent and support of others.

You can't do it alone. Whether in the real world or a virtual one, it takes the talent and support of others for us to be exemplary leaders. When you reciprocally Enable Others to Act, remember to follow up by Encouraging the Heart.

How are you using your talents to support others? How are the talents and supports of others helping you?

The Naked Violin

One of the benefits of posting regularly on a blog is you are always thinking about potential topics of interest for consideration, topics that provide unique, hopefully interesting perspectives on leadership. You end up having your feelers out all the time. It's fun and kind of addictive. My latest find came from listening to NPR this past week. I heard a compelling piece about a  young woman who is demonstrating  remarkable leadership while staying true to her art. Her name is Tasmin Little and this piece revolves around her latest album titled The Naked Violin. Tasmin is a concert violinist who has a vision for getting more people to share her love of the violin. She decided to go against the powerful norms of the music industry, challenge the process, and make the album available as a free download. When asked why, she replied, "The simple answer is it's about removing barriers." In other words, enabling others to act. But making the music more available was just part of her overall plan. Her goal was to get those who listen to more mainstream music to stretch a bit. She encouraged them to experiment and take some risks. She included with each piece of music a descriptor and tutorial providing deeper insight into the subtleties and nuances of the music. She challenged them to seriously consider the music and enabled them to do so. Her next step is where her leadership jumped out for me. After getting to know the music she challenged them to buy a cd or attend a concert. If they weren't willing to do that, she asked that they write her and explain why. "If not, why not? What would it take to get you interested?" She actively sought out a partnership with her potential audience in order to extend the reach of the music she loves. Her commitment to the vision of making violin music more mainstream is underscored by her plans this coming year to take it to those who won't get an opportunity to hear it otherwise; for example, a women's prison. If you get a chance to download the cd, I would highly recommend it. You may well find yourself enlisted in her vision.
posted by,
Beth High

Consider the possibilities.

I want to pay tribute today to a man who lead an "enabled" life. Marty Ravelette, died this past week in a car accident. He was 67. Marty was a local landscaper in my hometown Chapel Hill, NC. He was hard working, kind and capable. He was also born without arms. Embracing a condition so many of us would consider a challenge or impediment to living, he lived fully. He had a large family he loved and remarkable self reliance. Marty asked more of his feet than the rest of us and in return discovered what they are capable of. In a touching photo essay, http://www.chapelhillnews.com/features/story/11018.htmlwe see him pouring gasoline into one of his tractors, sharing a meal with one of his grandchildren, and baiting a hook while fishing. All this with his toes. He made national news when he saved a woman from a burning car on a major highway in town. It seems to me that Marty was empowered with a deep sense of limitless possibilities. Determined to lead a full and meaningful life, he developed his body in ways others might see as impossible. He saw only the possible. http://
www.chapelhillnews.com/opinion/story/10973.html

I put this posting in the “Enabling Others to Act” category becasue Marty's undaunted living is an inspiration to me to test my assumptions about my mind and my body, believe in possibilities, and focus on what can be, not what can’t be. It also reminds me how grateful I am for my healthy body. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
posted by Beth High