In leadership, trust is the cornerstone that transforms a crowd into a cohesive community. Trust isn't given—it's earned through consistent acts of character and competency.
Craving Connection: The Deep Roots of Belonging in Human Existence
In the intricate tapestry of human existence, one common thread binds us all – the innate need for belonging. Recent research underscores the significance of finding a sense of belonging within close social relationships and communities for overall well-being. At our core, we are social beings, interdependent on one another for survival, and the ability to belong is a powerful force shaping our lives.
Why Vulnerability Matters When Creating A Vision
Relationships matters when creating a vision for your organizations because you cannot create a vision without being innovative, creative and ready for change. Brene Brown once wrote about vulnerability saying, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” Vulnerability is the ability to handle uncertainty, to take risks and most importantly embrace emotional exposure. This makes sense. Are you more likely to risk sounding “in left field” if you trust the team you’re with and can be vulnerable around them? Would you mention the “unmentionable” at a board retreat if you trusted that the board members have your best intentions at heart? How can we ask people to tell us their best, perhaps wackiest ideas if they can’t be vulnerable around us?
I'm not always the best at being assertive, here are 7 Steps I learned to become more assertive
I have to be honest, and you may not believe me, but this is one of the hardest skills I am in the works of learning. Perhaps it's my 8-person family, puritan upbringing, and as a middle child I just went along with what the group wanted, but assertiveness has never been a strength of mine. I believe in a give, give, give, ask method of forward movement (in marketing, sales, strategy, people, etc.), however sometimes I recognize the ask has to come a little bit sooner. Assertiveness is not being tough or arrogant. It’s actually a very humble and thoughtful dance. It is recognizing that we have value and we sometimes need to put up boundaries for others to recognize our value.
At The Heart of True Innovation are Trust and Vulnerability
Innovation, or the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market, has a lot to do with the tasks, processes, and smart people! However, true innovation relies more on the ability to trust and be vulnerable in the incubator stage of an idea or innovation.
False innovation can be defined, if we borrow some language from vulnerability author Brené Brown as, “the absence of honest conversation about the hard work that takes us from lying facedown in the arena to rising strong has led to two dangerous outcomes: the propensity to gold-plate grit and a badassery deficit.”
XPollination (Ep. 19) - Millennial Grit and Resilience
As a dynamic consultant, coach, and educator, Sarah Scala has over 15 years of experience in supporting organization development, leadership, and change management for diverse organizations. She is passionate about creating solutions that strengthen interpersonal skills and support change with individuals, teams, and organizations.
We met when Sarah was giving a presentation on “Sustaining Success through Mindfulness, Optimism, Resilience and Grit.” I was especially interested around the topic of resilience and grit and how Millennials fit into the equation. Do we have resilience and grit as a generation? Most older generations would argue that these core elements are lacking in this generation? Can we build grit and resilience?
So we invited Sarah onto the show to discuss with us a bit more about resilience, grit and success.