This and That: With Heart!

A post last week by David McLean has prompted this first article in today’s newsletter.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space is our power to choose our response.

In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”?

?My answer to David’s post was the following:

“I do love this quote often accredited to Viktor Frankl (though it is not) and I share it in almost every workshop/training I facilitate.

Its message is spot on but to achieve this 'space', we need to develop our emotional self-regulation. This isn't easy but it is essential. Self-awareness is the critical first step.

Knowing our values is part of this, as are developing strategies to create the gap between trigger and reaction, so we can choose our response and not get hijacked by the triggered emotion.

Being able to name our emotions also helps to take some of the significance out of them. Especially important for the 'not so feel good' emotions." And this does take practice!

Another brilliantly written (in my humble opinion) post this week was by Binnaz Cubukcu . She uses a metaphor of champion snooker players to demonstrate some of the qualities needed in business life.

Her closing comment is the clincher “How can we nurture talent and help them reach their full potential? What role do leaders play in this critical process?”

I responded to her post with the following: ?“In addition to the qualities you mentioned, it sounds like JT (the snooker champion) also developed a strong measure of emotional agility and self-regulation.”

This is, in fact, what the above mentioned Viktor Frankl accredited quote is referring to. I truly believe we underestimate our ability and our responsibility in developing these skills. Most of us haven’t received any ‘schooling’ in these areas and many of our traditional role models weren’t able to demonstrate them either.

It’s incredibly liberating and confidence building when we have developed these skills.

On another note, this week and next will have many of us celebrating International Women’s Days events around the topic of ‘Inspire Inclusion’. As many of you know, I’m a supporter of gender balanced leadership and gender inclusive leadership qualities. The foundation I helped setup, now known as IN-leadership.org , is working towards these goals.

In January 2022 we published the book ‘Ready for Female Leadership: The Future is NOW’. A group of 28 diverse co-authors contributed to this collection of short essays. You’ll find it on Amazon both in paperback and as an e-book. For many men, it’s been a great starting point to understand why gender balance is so critical for our future. ?

I truly believe that to achieve a globally sustainable future we need more of the leadership qualities mentioned by both David and Binnaz in their posts. Let’s move the proverbial needle on this NOW, rather than later.

A friend and colleague of mine, Mirjam Willaert , has introduced a unique meeting and training concept in the Benelux. Friday, March 15th, she’s offering a free demo of SPARQzone (link to her website) for HR/L&D leaders and trainers. She still has a couple of ‘seats’ left for the session! It’s a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it as a way to accelerate learning and connection.

Mary Jane Roy is the owner of Creating Waves. She is committed to sharing knowledge and strategies to support thriving people in workspaces and organizations.

If you'd like more information about workshops, speaking engagements, panels, or consultancy customized to meet your organizational needs, please click here to learn how Mary Jane can support you.

“We Need More Heart! More Compassion, Kindness, Acceptance and Forgiveness - in our families, our workplaces and in the world.”

#livingfrommyheart