Wisdom from dysfunctional leaders

During my initial years as an employee a couple of my superiors drove me to my wit’s end. Sure they were nice and I would have to be fair and say they meant well however in my view they were completely incompetent as leaders and managers. To make it worse people on the outside used to comment to me how lucky I was to work for such a great person.

I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Over the past five years working as a leadership coach however, I have discovered that sadly I was not alone. This scenario is actually quite typical and many of my coaching clients come with war stories of their inept manager.

Being a glass full kind of woman I decided to unpack this phenomenon and asked myself - how do so many leaders with such obvious dysfunctions manage to rise to and remain in prominent, senior roles?

Fortunately in my own career, I was blessed with several capable mentors and leaders who provided me the benefit of contrast. Still, working for the dysfunctional few prompted me initially to take my hopeless situation home with me – criticising, complaining and nagging the ear off whoever would listen. Once over the initial whining though these inept leaders prompted me to seek a way up or out, motivated me to work out what it was that grated on me so badly so I could find a new path without these issues.  

The wisdom of this process was that in hindsight, I learnt far more about great leadership from a couple of dysfunctional leaders than I ever learn from the excellent ones. The pain they caused me was a strong learning stimulant for the following lessons:

Self-Motivation – Nothing like a dysfunctional de-motivator to force one to drive oneself to continue to succeed in spite of the roadblocks.

Creativity – bland leadership requires personal creativity to find inspiration in new ways of doing things outside of the norm.

Patience – This is probably the biggest lesson I learnt and is an essential leadership quality.  Patience under poor management does not mean I am waiting for them to act, it means I am persevering despite their actions.

By-gones – dealing with the stress of working under this dysfunction has taught me to be less judgmental and more inclined to give support. If you let bygones be bygones and trust that everyone is doing their best with what they know at the time it defuses a lot of your frustration and makes you more compassionate.

So if you find yourself one day working for a dysfunctional leader, take heart. Set your intention to being grateful for the wisdom and leadership tools that you will learn through the process. You’ll be glad you did.

Simple wisdom from Dr Seuss

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Dr Seuss

One of my great desires in life is to encourage people to teach people the principles of success so they can live the life they choose as early as possible.

Most of us get to middle age before we figure out that most everything we learned about life as a child was potentially wrong.

Dr Seuss manages to get four principles in four lines - the power of thought, the need for action, the power of choice, and no limits! What fantastic advice. Can you imagine the difference it would make to grow up understanding those four lines from an early age?

If you’re like me, you may have had kind and loving parents but they may not have taught you this art of choice as a child. What I often heard was, “We can’t afford that.” For my parents it was all about security and stability not grand adventure or possibility.

But let’s not lament time lost – instead make the most of the time you have from now, today. The quote still remains true about you, regardless of your age and where you are at right now.

So why not visit your local bookstore and get the book the quote is from, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” It’s an epic look at the whole journey of success, the ups and the downs. The kids will love it and so will you.

And pay close attention to the closing…“You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!”

Love from the Living Leader’s Advocate

Heidi Alexandra Pollard

Are you a control junkie?

“If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention” Tom Peters

Have you got your eye on the ball? Are you feeling confused, overwhelmed?

Over the past few days I have been organising for three of my websites to be prepared and recorded ready to move over to a new hosting provider and onto the WordPress platform. This has been one of those where I have felt resistance and confusion.

Moving and installing Word Press blogs. Updating current and writing new content. Retrieving lost passwords (so many!). Reviewing the fine print to cancel old membership site contracts. At times like this I question whether it is friendly Universe! But if I trust the universe and put my faith in my virtual assistant and my web chik, things go much smoother.

So today I am focusing on being grateful for technology and for the opportunity and technology to get my message out to the world. I choose to see myself as surrounded by supportive people who are all doing their best.

In those moments where I am frustrated and confused and I’m feeling frustrated, I just go and play with my puppy dog girls and delight in the simple pleasures in life.

My need for control and understanding every step of the process is my biggest hurdle. I’ve learnt that letting go and trusting others is the key to a smoother road.

Next time you are stressed and out of control, practice letting go and trusting the universe. You’ll be glad you did – I am.

Live your legacy, don’t leave it!

Heidi Alexandra Pollard

PS - If you want to learn some specific steps to reprogramming get this inexpensive program. It will help you break through your blockages, let go of your challenges and set new goals. Program bookings available from July 2010 http://www.leadingvalue.net/_product_19340/Powerful_Goals_Mini_Coaching_Program

Self-made millionaire entrepreneur and chief executive leader Heidi Alexandra Pollard coaches leaders around the world to inspire and motivate people so they can make a positive impact and live their legacy not leave it! Get her free tips and advice at www.leadingvalue.net

Have you got goal envy?

Did you spend time on 1 January this year setting goals for the year ahead? Have you reviewed them since then? How well have are you travelling against those goals? Are you happy with your progress or are you watching others zooming past on their trajectory with a tinge of envy?

Isn’t it interesting that we get caught in the habit of thinking everything always needs to move forward in a linear direction, a,b,c, 1,2,3, one step after the other. We fall into the trap of thinking that there is only one way to achieve our goals and therefore if we aren’t heading along a straight path we give up and think we’ve made no progress.

In fact, the goals that you set at the beginning of the year may now be quite different to the goals you want today.Don’t be afraid to make changes to your goals as needed. Being flexible and course correcting is a necessary part of success. Reviewing your goals regularly may be just what you need to move forward.

Imagine what goals you could achieve if you took this compound approach and continued on a steady path taking one small incremental step each day towards your intended outcome.Start today by setting up three new goals for yourself that you want to achieve in the next three months. Then add a diary reminder to review your progress and take one small step each and every day - you’ll be glad that you did!

How often does that happen in real life? When have you ever started out on a path and everything has gone along smoothly in a perfectly straight line?

span style=”font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Arial”,”sans-serif”;”>Isn’t it more likely to go up and down, side to side, weaving in and out? For me things often unfold as one step forward, two steps back and sometimes a sideways step.

You see it’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking ‘it’s halfway through the year, I should be halfway through accomplishing my goals.’

Should you? Really?

Are you comparing your progress against someone else? Just because they appear to be that far ahead doesn’t mean it may be the right path for you.  And what if your progress was compounding steadily like compound interest?

A common example to illustrate this used in many wealth workshops is the example of the $1 million versus $1 cent gift. Would you rather accept Option A - a one off gift today of $1 million or would you rather be given Option B - one cent that is compounded daily for a month?

At the half way point - 15 days if you chose Option B you would have only $163.84, would you be kicking yourself that you should have taken the $1 million?

What about if you hung out until day 25? If you chose Option A you would still have $1 million (or whatever you hadn’t spend already) but if you chose Option B you would have $167,772.16? Would you still cut your losses and take Option A?

By day 30 the end of the month if you chose Option B - you would be very pleased that you were patient and persisted in adding one small compound improvement each day? Why? Because by day 30 your little bonus would be worth a whopping $5,368,709.12 that’s why!

The simple, slow and steady without quitting and without cashing in along the way really can win the race.

So don’t give up on your goals and dreams. Keep on making progress and moving forward, even if it is a sidestep or two steps backwards - that’s just part of the process.

Thought for the week

One of my favourite quotes:

“You want to set a goal that is big enough that in the process of achieving it you become someone worth becoming.”
Jim Rohn

As a collector of quotes I am always on the lookout for new ones so tell me what’s your favourite quote?

Yours in prosperity, passion and living leadership
Heidi Alexandra

Course correction better than perfection

One of the reasons that people hold back on their dreams is that they believe that they don’t know enough, they’re not smart enough or they don’t know what they need to know in order to reach their goals.

Many successful people in history have been accused of being uneducated

- of not being smart enough or knowing enough. And yet by most people’s standards, go on to be greatly successful.

Henry Ford is one such person and he rebutted the “uneducated” label by saying that he had a row of buttons on his desk that would summon an expert on any subject that he needed.

Rather than store loads of information and data about his factory away in his own head - Ford only needed to know who to ask and where to get the information. It certainly seemed to work for him at the time wouldn’t you agree?

Today in the modern world connected by the amazing world wide web - we have many of these buttons at our fingertips - on our keyboard. Touch a few letters into that amazing engine called Google and voila, you have the answer to almost any  question without leaving the comfort of your seat.

The key difference I believe that stood Ford and other successful people ahead of the rest is what they do with the information once gathered.  In Ford’s case, he would organize the thoughts, facts, data and information he found into a positive plan of action.

What do you do with the information at your fingertips? Do you read and read and read, analyse and analyse but never put that information into action? Or do you assimilate it quickly, try something new, try again, try something else, make a plan of action, start something, do anything and then course correct along the way?

If you really want to step up to a new level of success then this is the best tip I ever heard - “Course correction is always better than perfection.”

To your success and affirmative action

Heidi Alexandra Pollard

The Living Leaders Advocate

Have fun while boosting your brand

So you’re already well versed with social networking sites - you regularly update your Facebook profile, you have hundreds of professional connections on LinkedIn, and you manage to share most of each day in bite sized a 140 character Tweets.

So what’s next I hear you ask.

While you may be well up to speed with adding value to your business through social media, do you know how to use it as a tool for successfully marketing your personal brand?

no? Well here are some quick easy tips for leveraging your brand on the web:

Utilize services that allow you to post to multiple sites and services with a single post. For this purpose, I highly recommend Posterous.com. It’s a free service that allows you to post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn by sending a single email.

Trial and error is the best way to learn: try different things to see what people respond to most. This is especially true when you have a diverse audience with varying interests, it’s important to experiment and test to see what works and what people are responding to. Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what gets your audience interacting.  

Join the conversation. Social media is all about online conversations. It’s a place to listen to your users and encourage participation. If you are too heavy handed with your “marketing” you may well run the risk of alienating your community of followers. Respond to other people’s posts, interact, be yourself and join in the conversation. Remember your followers follow you because they believe you are interesting ans share content of value - never ram your stuff down their throats.

Be real. People want to follow someone they can relate to - the real authentic you. Including  photos, quotes, things that have happened to you - let people see who’s behind the brand.

Make it fun!!! Social media is about having fun and interacting. Show your passion, be a little silly, don’t be afraid to show your quirky self.

In light of this last point I have been playing around and having fun with my brand - check out my new animation video here and make your own to boost your brand! http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6516217/

Yours in prosperity, passion and purpose

Heidi Alexandra Pollard, The Living Leaders Advocate

Daily intentions: life is a creation!

“While you are standing around wondering what tomorrow will bring, remember that life is a creation, not a discovery.” Srikumar Rao

As a corporate refuge I often prided myself (in a strange way) in the ability I had to multi-task and handle anything and everything that life and the job threw at me. No matter what the challenge I was there in the thick of it, problem solving and troubleshooting, managing and instructing.

While it was good to have that kind of strength and confidence in my ability to roll with the punches (particularly daily media issues) it was a thoughtless way to plan my day. In fact my plan usually consisted of 10% planned work and 90% of my calendar ready to tackle the daily dramas.

During my time recently in LA for my coaching mastermind, the concept of ‘batching’ my time and activities was posed. Now I have always been action-oriented and an achiever, don’t get me wrong, but doing this usually meant being ridiculously busy and came often at the expense of myself, my health, my relaxation and planning.

This got me thinking - imagine what I could achieve if instead I saw what life could do with what I threw at it?

Instead of just getting up in the morning to see what happens, I decided to plan my time, to batch my activities and to INTEND my day by setting daily intentions.

While the jury is still out and some days I keep my intentions better than others, I have to say having a plan for how my day is going to be, and then being clear to intend for it to be
that way has been pretty powerful.

Try it out for yourself. Start intending your day. Picture in your minds eye each morning how you want the day to go. Expect it to happen.

Sound too optimistic? Well let me share with you - even if I haven’t achieved 100% of my intention each day I certainly achieve over half of it and isn’t that better than just letting life run my day for me?

Instead of just responding to lifes little dramas, remember life is a creation, not a discovery. Have the intention to create big things for yourself - I know I certainly am!

Heidi Alexandra Pollard - the Living Leaders Advocate

Fellow Mastermind members I highly recommend

I would like to introduce you to an incredibly talented group of entrepreneurs. We work together using social media strategies to push each other to the top of Google. We support each other and learn from one another on a daily basis.

We are the MPC Social Media Tribe!

Please visit a tribe member below…

	Jenny Amon Fenig Jenny Fenig Coaching Description: Jenny is a certified career/life coach, yoga teacher,  new mom support group leader, speaker, and student in the  fascinating journey called LIFE.
	Katherine CHE Life Blossoming Systems Description: Cultivator of Joy, Katherine C. H. E. is an author and expert on the Law of Attraction. She currently works with clients to help them improve any and all areas of their lives — from their health to all aspects of their well-being.
	Phil Dyer Total Business Transformation Phil is a speaker, writer, financial planner, strategic business coach  and recovering workaholic who is dedicated to helping lifestyle entrepreneurs transform their business to support their ideal life,  create conscious wealth and have fun!
	Jessica Eaves Mathews Business Brilliance Blog Description: Jessica is a seasoned business lawyer, advisor and coach for business owners and entrepreneurs. She is also a multi-passionate entrepreneur herself, having launched a number of successful ventures of her own throughout the past 15 years.
	Dr. Robert Fenell Repetitive Strain Injuries Description: Teaching chiropractors how to effectively treat  repetitive strain injuries of the extremities.
	Laura Hollick Soul Art Studio Description: Laura is a soul artist. She has developed a series of Soul Art processes that she teaches and share with others so they can connect with their spirits and transform their lives into the most exquisite version of themselves.
	Linda P. Jones Visionary Wealth Now Linda is CEO and Founder of the Global Institute of Visionary  Wealth and Visionary Wealth Now. She follows her passion for  investing and teaching others how to have investment success  and build wealth.
	Lisa Manyon Creative Writing Services Description: Lisa is a a marketing maniac and press release magician. She helps entrepreneurs take the business message in your head & craft an authentic marketing message to connect with your ideal customer.
	Ellen Marie Martin Conquer Chaos Now!™ Considered a leader in her field, Ellen Martin is a professional  organizer, productivity trainer, motivational speaker and efficiency  coach with a passion for changing lives.
	Christine McIvor Social Media Consultant Description: Christine is a social media junkie. She helps  entrepreneurs and business owners locally get to the top of  Google using simple low-cost marketing strategies.
	Pinky McKay Breastfeeding Simply International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)  and a Certified Infant Massage Instructor, Pinky McKay is a  Melbourne based writer and editor specializing in health,  education and family issues.
	Debbie McNeill Assisting Stampin’ Up Demonstrators Description: Debbie assists Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators  with their computer and marketing needs
	Terry Monaghan Organizer of Life Description: Terry has built Organizing For Your Life on 25  years of business and entrepreneurial experience. From  corporate executives to solo-preneurs, she helps them get  the right things done, faster.
	Lynne Moore MLM Relationship Goals Coach Description: Coaching women of independent spirit to achieve their key relationship goals.
	Sue Painter Confident Marketer Description:Sue Painter is the President and founder of The Confident Marketer. Sue is passionate about helping solopreneurs create work that is satisfying and financially successful.
	Melody Park Shin Mommy Chick Join Melody as she explores conscious parenting, applying  Universal Principles, in life and business, and living a fabulously  creative life!
	Trudy Scott Overcome Anxiety Trudy helps women overcome anxiety and other mood problems  naturally (using nutrients and food) – and they love that they also  end up sleeping better, have more energy and less cravings.
	Patricia Selmo Women Spiritual Leaders The International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders was  founded to serve the needs of women who are leaders in their  spiritual communities, women who have independent spiritual  practices, and women who are aspiring to be “spiritual leaders”.
	Mitch Tublin Business Strategist Mitch is a Premier Business Strategist, with expertise in Brand Building and Internet Marketing.
	Anita Wheeler Law of Attraction Diva Author of the soon-to-be-released book “The Law of Attraction is NOT a Secret”. Anita trains and coaches “ENTREPRENEURS” how to  be more proactive in their own lives to develop what she refers to as POWER FLOW™.

Stand in your power

“Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one’s better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act.” Maxwell Maltz

Do you allow your fear to paralyse you and hold you back from achieving all that you desire? Or do you acknowledge and accept your fear and then carry on with it and through it regardless?

One of the biggest mistakes people make is to allow fear to get in the way of their success. Analysis paralysis is the killer of innovation! Just because you are experiencing fear, doesn’t mean that you can’t do something… it just means that doing it is going to feel uncomfortable - so expect to feel that way. 

Take the time to pay attention to all the things that you think you can’t do, be or have. Identify the fear that you are empowering with this assumption and then carry on with and through it regardless.

Ask yourself what’s the worst thing that could happen? And what if in pushing through the fear you achieved what you truly desired? What are you waiting for?

Yours in prosperity, passion and purpose
Heidi Alexandra Pollard