The EXPANSION of Leaders

This moment in time, ten years from now, will be looked upon as a catalyst for humanity's global change. This virus and pandemic have infiltrated every corner from our hospitals to the deep coffers in our minds. It will forge character, making some stronger and some weaker. It will reveal those willing to show up when others played it safe. I believe, as a result, there is a cellular like transformation taking place inside leaders preparing for this expansion. 

Even as you quarantine yourself, at some point, you'll face in what way did you take charge of the influence this will have on your leadership and its impact?

Listening to the news or surfing any social platform, you'll see there is an energy "currency" that has gone viral, and I'm not talking about the disease, but an awakening of helping make the world a better place through rising to higher consciousness. The expansion taking place has me compelled to add value the best way I know how by empowering leaders to up-level into their Power Zones. 

How does this evolve?

Business leaders, their teams, and their communities are feeling tremendous pressure. The response to this requires facing a variety of challenges known and unknown. It also presents an opportunity for adapting and growing from the inside-out. Status quo will no longer be acceptable, as the emotional need for belonging, safety, and security will lie on the shoulders of leaders. 

Leaders must dig deep and find hope in place of panic, inspiration in place of stress, and empowerment to pull together and build forward. The need is especially pronounced in the NOW.

I've identified three initial stages of growth for this needed EXPANSION to take place.

Expansion One - Claim Your Leadership WHY

Your best asset as a leader is your leadership voice. Our leadership voice encapsulated understanding one's leadership WHY, in essence, the claiming of your most significant purpose. In times of uncertainty, this will be tested revealing your true values and strengths, and the weaknesses that lay dormant under the surfaces until infected. It's critical in these times that you take charge of your leadership development. Leading by default versus intentional will no longer be tolerated by the masses, also coming awake in this global expansion. I'll address further in my forthcoming book, Leadership Why.

This metamorphism has taken place in hundreds of leaders I've served.

Intentional leadership creates a new frequency, liken to becoming a magnet for attracting the right opportunities and people into your life to fulfill your leadership why. Let me tell you; it's not "hocus-pocus," either. This metamorphism has taken place in hundreds of leaders I've served. One client recently described it as manifesting things from how he has learned to view himself differently, and how he now thinks about himself at his best expansion – a place I call the Power Zone. Having the skills and discipline to present in a higher frequency, the world around him is resonating with and responding positively. 

The universal law of attraction and expansion stems from having our thoughts aligned and holding the space energetically for what we want to show up. But you can't do that in its highest form if you don't know your WHY. When claimed, automatically, you'll put yourself in a position of raising the vibration, and through awareness, present yourself in a way that people will want to buy into your vision. Your energy will be contagious!

Second Expansion – Be the Sound of Hope

Hope springs forth from our most human core need for safety and security. Hope resonates within our higher selves, inspiring us to impart similarly with others. Today's leaders must take care of their people in good times and in times of crisis. They need to be the calming force as they instill hope into the hearts and minds of their people. 

Unfortunately, leaders who fail to evolve will experience the vicious cycle many find themselves in. That of feeling lost and scared in facing the unknown, while putting on what I reference in my book, Leaving Your Comfort Zone, the mask of confidence, all the while secretly hoping not to be exposed. What is a leader to do in times of adversity such as this? Provide hope, but not false hope! Sharing the truth of the environment while spreading hope builds "trust" that, together, can move through. 

Most individuals don't take stock of the "sound" of their voice.

Fear and anxiety can dissipate with hope leaving behind a sense of optimism and a renewed sense of our power. Hope opens up the window of expansion allowing previously unseen possibilities to shine through. Caution though, hope is fragile. The vibration of your leadership voice can be damaging if not careful with your tone and words. Most individuals don't take stock of the "sound" of their voice. How you treat your employees during these times of crisis will vibrate out into the marketplace of future employees you may need to retain once the dust settles. 

Practice speaking hope into others. Your best tool is listening and reflecting so that others can process and find confidence within themselves. Help others look for the blessings - the answer isn't always simple, and sometimes it doesn't reveal itself till later. That's been much of my life. Yet, possessing hope has cleared the pathway for blessings to show themselves at the perfect time. 

Third Expansion - Must be willing to take a stand

The new expansion of leadership will often require taking a stand alone. To be prepared you must develop the mental fortitude to take the necessary risks for the greater good. The future will expect expansive leaders, who inspire the "stretch" in others through their example.

Cultivating the stretch is vital as that's where evolving into new levels takes place. Prepare by assessing where you might be stagnant or in a holding pattern, often hidden and woven in tolerated beliefs and behaviors. Now more than ever, reaching out for a higher-level mentor or coach will be the arsenal of expansive leaders used to reposition themselves from a growth mindset. Your capacity to take necessary risks expands by seeing the blind spots, while challenges you to get out of your own way.

Cultivating the stretch is vital as that's where evolving into new levels takes place.

Developing a new generation impacted by this time of crisis, be sensitive to others considering how they process and manage stress, but please be mindful of disempowering them. Help people feel safe and cared for, but avoid coddling them, as the cost is encouraging them to "forfeit" their true potential. The only way people leave their comfort zones is through taking risks!

A balanced approach is to support others where they are now and where they can expand. This is a principle I teach of calling people UP, versus calling them out. When others remind me of my potential, I've had my most significant growth. As each time I've stepped into fear away from comfort, I've evolved into a higher level of my Power Zone. Fear will seek the safety of the familiar every time, while courage responds to the act of being called up into higher expansions. 

...view these times as necessary for the journey to return to our powerful self.

In closing, I firmly believe our charge as a leaders in this global expansiveness is to empower others through claiming our WHY, hold sacred the gift of breathing hope into others' hearts, and view these times as necessary for the journey to return to our powerful self. Trust me, humanity at large is ready to rise and expand together. They are only waiting for the next level leaders to extend the invitation. Will you?

? March 27, 2020, Author René Johnson, Power Zone Coaching, powerzonecoach.com

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