New...Different...FRESH!

I painted my walls recently. ? As the new colour hit my walls, I remember thinking about how “fresh” things looked.? ? It gave the room a new look and feel. ? As I painted, I reflected on my recent break and how the people and places I visited gave me fresh perspectives, new energy, and journal pages full of ideas, learning, and a desire to take action in different ways - personally and professionally.??

“The beginning is always today”

- Mary Shelley

I believe leaders need regular injections of “fresh”. ? Leadership is a decision, not a position.? Every day is full of issues, agendas, problems to solve, and opportunities for connection. ? Creating "fresh starts" recharges our thinking and renews our decision to lead with intention, in the service of others.???

FRESH means “not previously known or used; new and different”; “recently made or obtained, otherwise not preserved”.

As I get back to a regular routine of writing, I hope to share with you some of my new thinking and ways I’m looking to share, show and speak about leadership now and next.???

It has to be new and different - as the times we are in are new and different.??

I invite you to start seeing each day as if it were a fresh start:? an opportunity to bring your best to who, what, and where you are leading.

Here are some “fresh” leadership strategies for you for the remainder of 2022:

1. Throw away your 2019 leadership playbook. ? What worked then doesn’t work anymore. ? Our social, emotional, relational, and workplace realities have changed and your leadership needs to too. ? Let it go, it’s served you well.? Next…
2. Nurture your network. ? Reconnect or connect with people who think, work, live, and play in spaces that are different from yours.? ? We learn from others’ experiences as much as our own.? Find out how others are navigating the complexity of now.
3. Ask more questions. ? Curiosity is a great way to break well-worn mental maps. ? See people, places, processes, and practices as places to ask “What do you think?” or “What does better look like?” or “What else is possible?”. Go deep to understand from a wider angle or a new area you can build into your toolkit of experiences.??
4. Read to Lead. ? Feed your brain a regular diet of new thinking and new ideas.? Commit 10 minutes a day to reading or listening to thought leaders and experts who spend deep time considering the world we live in. Stop looking for mirrors of what you know - scout for ideas, solutions, and strategies that are being used in different communities and contexts.? Find out what books, podcasts or talk shows others listen to.? ? Put what you learn into the regular rotation of how you think, plan, act, or imagine!
5. Friday meetings with yourself.? Yes - a meeting of ONE.? What insights, ideas, and learning might you gain by creating a 15-minute block of time on a Friday?? Reflect on what went well, the week’s highlights, and what were the challenges.? Most importantly, set an intention and focus for where and how you will lead yourself, others, and/or your organization in new and better ways.? Progress matters much more than perfection or procrastination.???